; 


Proposed 
FOREIGN  Mission 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/proposedforeignmOOunse 


PROPOSED 
FOREIGN  MISSION 
POLICIES 

A  REPORT  of  the  SPECIAL 
CONFERENCE  of 

DELEGATES  from 

the  BOARDS  of  MANAGERS 
and  the  TEN  MISSIONS 

of  the  AMERICAN  BAPTIST 
FOREIGN  MISSION  SOCIETY 
and  the  WOMAN’S  AMERICAN 
BAPTIST  FOREIGN  MISSION 
SOCIETY  HELD  IN  NEW  YORK 
CITY.  NOV.  18-DEC.  2,  1925. 


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Table  of  Contents 


Page 

Foreword  ...........  5 

Findings : 

The  Churches  on  the  Mission  Field  .....  7 

Leadership  ..........  10 

The  Place  of  Women  in  the  Churches  .  .  .  .  .12 

The  Place  and  Work  of  the  Foreign  Missionary  in  the  Light 

of  Changed  Conditions  .......  12 

Christian  Education  on  the  Mission  Fields  .  .  .  .17 

Medical  Work  .........  19 

Administrative  Problems'  .......  22 

Financial  Problems  ........  29 

Cultivation  of  the  Home  Base  .......  38 

Our  Spiritual  Resources  ........  44 

Summary  of  Conference  Proceedings  .  .  .  .  .  .46 

Tentative  Statement  of  Policy  of  the  American  Baptist  Foreign 
Mission  Society  .........  51 


A  Statement  of  the  Policy  of  the  Woman's  American  Baptist 

Foreign  Mission  Society  .....  .  .  53 


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Foreword 


IX  THE  summer  of  1912  the  Boards  of  Managers  of  the  American 
Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society  and  the  Woman’s  American  Baptist 
Foreign  Alission  Society  held  a  conference  extending  through  several 
days  at  Newton  Center,  Mass.,  in  which  representatives  of  the  various  mis¬ 
sions  of  those  organizations  discussed  certain  administrative  questions. 
This  brief  conference  proved  so  helpful  that  a  more  formal  meeting  was 
held  at  Newton  Center,  Mass.,  April  25 — May  8,  1917.  To  that  conference 
all  of  the  ten  missions  of  the  two  Societies  appointed  delegates,  who  sat 
with  representatives  of  the  Boards.  The  discussions  and  the  findings  were 
far  more  comprehensive  than  those  of  the  gathering  in  1912. 

For  several  years  it  has  been  apparent  that  still  another  conference 
would  be  required.  The  changes  of  the  last  decade  have  been  almost  start¬ 
ling,  and  it  was  fully  recognized  that  representatives  of  the  various  fields 
of  the  two  Societies  needed  to  assemble  and  to  inquire  as  to  modification 
of  methods  or  policies  required  to  enable  the  Boards  and  the  missions  to 
realize  the  more  quickly  and  surely  the  missionary  ideals  of  the  denomina¬ 
tion.  Accordingly,  after  nearly  two  years  of  preparation,  the  third  con¬ 
ference  was  held  in  New  York  City,  November  18 — December  2,  1925. 
This  volume  presents  the  conclusions  reached  and  the  recommendations 
made  to  the  missions  and  the  Boards  of  Managers. 

The  findings  themselves  are  of  primary  importance  and  therefore  are 
given  first  place.  The  next  section  of  the  report  is  a  summary  of  the  pro¬ 
ceedings  of  the  Conference.  It  has  been  deemed  advisable  also  to  include 
the  tentative  statement  of  policy  of  the  American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission 
Society  and  a  statement  of  policy  of  the  Woman’s  American  Baptist  Foreign 
Mission  Society. 

While  it  was  fully  recognized  that  conditions  are  arising  in  the  world 
at  large  which  require  changes  in  methods  of  administration,  there  could 
be  no  change  in  the  great  objective  of  the  Christian  missionary  enterpr^^e, 
which  is  to  lead  men  everywhere  to  accept  Jesus  Christ  as  Savior  and 
Lord,  through  whom  they  may  find  the  Father.  While  it  was  felt  that 
certain  changes  in  methods  may  be  urgently  required,  it  was  recognized 
that  our  greatest  needs  are  in  the  realm  of  the  spirit. 


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Special  attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that  the  material  published 
herewith  represents  simply  the  findings  of  the  Conference.  These 
findings  become  operative  only  after  they  have  been  adopted  by  the 
Boards  of  Managers.  They  have  now  been  referred  to  the  missions 
for  study  and  comment.  After  the  recommendations  of  the  missions 
have  been  received  the  Boards  will  consider  the  policies  with  a  view 
to  final  action.  In  order  to  give  opportunity  for  consideration  of  the 
findings  by  the  annual  conference  in  each  mission,  final  action  by  the 
Boards  has  been  postponed  until  after  May  1,  1927.  Since  it  is  quite 
possible  that  as  a  result  of  study  by  the  'missions  and  the  Boards 
changes  both  in  language  and  substance  might  be  made,  the  findings 
as  printed  herein  should  be  considered  as  proposed  policies  only  until 
final  action  is  taken  by  the  Boards. 


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d 


FINDINGS 

THE  CHURCHES  ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


I.  Importance  of  the  Church 

The  paramount  aim  of  the  Christian  missionary  enterprise  is  to  lead  men 
everywhere  to  accept  Jesus  Christas  Saviour  and  Master,  through  whom  they 
may  find  the  Father.  Those  who  have  thus  accepted  Christ,  naturally  band 
themselves  together  for  Christian  nurture  and  mutual  fellowship  and  for 
propagating  the  gospel  and  leading  mankind  to  apply  the  teachings  of  Christ 
in  all  of  life’s  relationships. 

There  is  occasion  for  sincere  gratitude  to  God  that  so  many  Christian 
churches  are  now  forming  on  mission  fields,  with  evidence  of  genuine  vital¬ 
ity  and  promise  of  becoming  truly  indigenous.  It  seems  clear  that  it  is  the 
first  duty  of  Christian  missionary  agencies  to  co-operate  with  the  churches 
which  give  evidence  of  real  life,  with  a  view  to  their  becoming  chiefly 
responsible  for  Christian  work  in  their  own  lands.  Since  the  foreign  mis¬ 
sion  organization  in  any  land  must  be  regarded  as  a  temporary  structure, 
success  in  the  work  of  foreign  mission  agencies  may  be  measured  by  the 
progress  attained  in  the  establishment  of  truly  indigenous  churches. 

II.  Characteristics  of  an  Indigenous  Church 

Although  an  indigenous  church  is  not  easily  defined,  yet  there  are  certain 
characteristics  which  are  clearly  discernible.  While  such  a  church  is  com¬ 
monly  described  as  self-supporting,  self-governing,  and  self-propagating, 
yet  the  essential  characteristics  of  a  truly  indigenous  church  are  spiritual. 

It  will  be  conscious  of  its  own  direct  relationship  to  Christ  and  responsibility 
to  Him,  and  will  have  full  confidence  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit  alone  to 
energize  and  direct  it.  A  church  may  be  small  in  membership,  simple  in  its 
organization  and  activities,  and  even  partially  dependent  on  foreign  financial 
aid,  but  if  it  has  real  life  and  is  doing  its  utmost  to  express  such  life  it 
may  properly  be  considered  indigenous.  This  essential  life  inevitably  seeks 
to  express  itself,  however,  in  complete  self-government,  self-support  and 
self-propagation. 

It  follows  that  a  truly  indigenous  church  will  not  merely  appropriate 
those  values  which  have  been  brought  to  it  by  others,  but  will  make  use 
of  any  permanent  values  in  its  own  heritage  and  will  endeavor  to  make  its 
own  contribution  to  the  world’s  knowledge  of  the  riches  available  in  Christ.  ^  p 

III.  Evidences  of  Progress  Toward  Indigenous  Churches 

While  it  must  be  confessed  that  the  churches  on  the  mission  fields  in 
general  lack  much  of  measuring  up  to  these  ideals,  yet  it  is  true  that  there 
are  already  large  numbers  of  village,  rural  and  jungle  churches  which  indi- 


7 


8 


PROPOSED  FOREIGX  MISSIOX  POLICIES 


vidiially  are  aggressive  spiritual  forces  in  their  own  areas  and,  united,  afford 
possibilities  of  great  power  in  widespread  and  effective  evangelism.  Also, 
in  some  towns  and  cities,  there  are  churches  which  are  themselves  actively 
supporting  evangelistic  and  other  forms  of  Christian  work.  Weak  though 
many  churches  are,  they  possess  life  and  aspiration.  The  birth  of  a  genuine 
church  has  taken  place.  The  chief  concern  should  be  to  give  it  careful 
nurture  until  it  reaches  the  attainment  of  full  churchhood  in  Christ. 

While  financial  independence  is  not  the  chief,  nor  the  only,  goal  of  the 
church,  progress  in  self-support  is  convincing  evidence  of  vitality.  The 
giving  of  the  churches  on  the  mission  field  is  by  no  means  a  matter  for 
discouragement.  When  numbers  and  economic  conditions  are  considered,  it 
is  a  question  whether  the  churches  in  the  foreign  fields  are  not  more 
generous  in  their  support  of  Christian  work  than  the  churches  jn  America. 

Furthermore,  a  powerful  Christian  influence  is  already  being  brought  into 
the  national  life  by  the  relatively  large  number  of  individuals  who  have  been 
trained  in  Christian  institutions  or  who  have  in  other  ways  been  brought 
into  allegiance  to  Christian  ideals  and  who  are  holding  positions,  many  of 
which  are  of  great  importance,  in  political,  economic  and  social  affairs.  The 
church  as  a  body  has  also  already  attained  a  position  of  importance  in  influ¬ 
encing  many  phases  of  community  life. 

IV,  Some  Problems  Confronting  the  Indigenous  Churches 

1.  While  churches  and  schools  on  the  mission  field  have  had  a  large 
share  in  the  quickening  of  national  consciousness  and  have  manifested  a 
growing  appreciation  of  the  need  for  more  aggressive  evangelism,  yet  one  of 
the  most  urgent  tasks  before  them  is  the  deepening  of  the  sense  of  respon¬ 
sibility  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  entire  nation. 

2.  On  some  fields,  the  organization  and  the  programs  of  the  churches  do 
not  make  a  sufficiently  vital  appeal  to  the  students  from  our  schools  and 
colleges.  On  the  other  hand,  churches  more  directly  connected  with  the 
schools,  while  often  large  in  membership  and  apparently  vigorous  in  local 
activities,  are  too  frequently  lacking  in  broader  outlook,  evangelistic  pas¬ 
sion,  and  correlation  with  the  denominational  life.  The  Conference  recom¬ 
mends,  therefore,  that  measures  be  taken  to  secure  a  more  effective  correla¬ 
tion  between  schools  and  churches  so  as  to  make  possible  on  the  part  of  the 
churches  a  more  careful  direction,  and  a  larger  place  for  the  activities  of 
students  and  graduates  of  our  schools. 

3.  The  success  of  education  during  the  past  twenty  years  in  winning 
students  to  Christ  has  secured  for  us  position,  power,  influence,  leadership 
and  opportunity.  This  has  rendered  more  necessary  than  ever  before  the 
strengthening  of  the  churches  in  spirit,  purpose  and  organization  that  they 
may  more  effectively  meet  their  evangelistic  and  social  opportunities. 


PROPOSED  FOREIGN  MISSION  POLICIES 


9 


4.  The  Conference  is  confident  that  the  churches  on  the  mission  fields 
are  already  possessed  of  such  resources  in  spiritual  life,  administrative 
ability  and  leadetship  that  they  can  and  should  increasingly  undertake  the 
responsibility  for  Christian  work  in  their  own  lands.  The  Conference  is 
therefore  of  the  opinion  that  every  mission  should  take  immediate  steps  to 
prepare  for  the  ultimate  assumption  of  full  proprietorship  as  regards 
Christian  work  by  the  native  churches. 

V.  Claims  of  the  Indigenous  Churches  on  the  Churches  in  America 

(Note:  The  following  finding  was  adopted  by  the  Conference  in  order  to  correct 
any  possible  impression  that  the  increased  emphasis  on  self-support  would  lead  to  an 
early  decrease  in  the  financial  assistance  needed  from  the  churches  in  America.) 

The  Conference  feels  that  we  have  reason  to  be  profoundly  grateful 
to  God  for  the  evidences  which  are  now  apparent  on  many  of  our  fields 
that  the  churches  are  coming  to  a  realization  of  their  own  power  and 
responsibilities.  The  willingness  to  take  a  larger  part  in  the  conduct  of 
the  work,  the  move  to  organize  indigenous  bodies  for  the  direction  of  the 
Christian  movement,  and  the  advance  in  self-support  are  developments 
which  may  be  considered  wholly  normal  and  desirable. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  readjustments  required  by  these 
developments  cannot  be  accomplished  hastily,  but  that  on  most  of  the 
fields  many  years  will  pass  before  the  indigenous  churches  can  be  expected 
to  reach  such  a  stage  of  development  as  will  justify  the  American  churches 
in  withdrawing  their  support.  The  history  of  our  own  work  gives  one 
happy  illustration  of  a  field  ultimately  reaching  entire  self-support.  In 
Sweden  work  was  begun  some  seventy-five  years  ago.  It  has  now  been 
a  good  many  years  since  we  have  found  it  needful  to  expend  any  large 
amount  of  money  in  that  country.  Baptists  have  increased  to  the  number 
of  60,000,  and  the  work  is  not  only  self-supporting  but  foreign  missionaries 
have  been  sent  to  other  countries  in  the  proportion  of  one  to  every  600 
members  in  the  Baptist  churches  in  Sweden. 

The  situation  in  non-Christian  countries,  however,  is  quite  different  from 
that  which  was  the  case  in  Sweden.  In  the  latter  country  our  work  was 
carried  on  with  a  Christian  and  even  Protestant  background,  while  in  the 
Far  East,  British  India  and  Africa  nothing  could  be  taken  for  granted  but 
foundations  have  had  to  be  laid  in  the  minutest  detail.  It  is  obvious,  there¬ 
fore,  that  a  far  longer  period  will  be  required  for  the  full  development  of 
the  churches  on  these  fields. 

At  present  the  churches  on  the  mission  fields  are,  for  the  most  part, 
few  in  number,  and  not  great  in  financial  power.  The  intensive  policy 
pursued  by  the  Boards  during  the  past  years  has  had  for  its  aim  the 
bringing  of  the  churches  and  native  organizations  to  the  place  where  they 
can  take  the  leadership  in  the  evangelization  of  their  own  lands.  The  num¬ 
ber  of  Christians  is  so  small,  when  compared  with  the  great  mass  of  the 


10 


PROPOSED  FOREIGX  MISSlOX  POLICIES 


non- Christian  population  and  their  economic  position  is  so  low  that  it  is 
clear  that  greater,  not  less,  aid  should  be  extended  to  the  churches  in 
their  effort  to  evangelize  the  communities  in  which*  they  have  been 
planted  and  for  which  Baptists  are  definitely  responsible.  Missionaries 
moreover  will  still  be  needed  to  act  as  counsellors  and  examples  of  faith¬ 
ful,  energetic  service. 

When  the  strength  of  the  native  organization  has  increased  to  such 
a  degree  as  to  justify  us  in  withdrawing  any  substantial  part  of  our  sup¬ 
port,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  there  will  still  be  large  areas  of  un¬ 
occupied  territory  throughout  the  world  and  that  Baptists  as  well  as  other 
evangelical  groups  will  have  an  obligation  towards  these  neglected  fields. 
It  is  clear,  however,  that  for  years  to  come,  unless  the  funds  at  our  com¬ 
mand  are  considerably  augmented,  the  needs  of  the  fields  where  we  are  now 
working  will  require  all  our  available  resources. 

LEADERSHIP 


I.  General  Policy 

The  Conference  believes  that  all  branches  and  activities  of  the  church 
and  all  its  wider  influences  in  community  and  state  should  become  truly 
indigenous.  In  pursuance  of  this  end,  it  is  evident  that  there  are  on  the 
mission  fields  nationals  of  ability  and  consecration  who  are  able  to  assume  ^ 
a  larger  share  of  responsibility  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  church.  Therefore, 
the  use  of  well-trained  native  leaders  should  be  encouraged  in  all  depart¬ 
ments  of  the  work.  Each  mission  is  urged  to  make  a  fresh  investigation 
of  the  conditions  in  its  field  with  a  view  to  determining  methods  to  be 
pursued  in  securing  a  larger  participation  by  native  leaders  in  the  respon¬ 
sibility  for  all  phases  of  the  work. 

II.  Securing  and  Training  of  Leaders 

It  is  important  that  the  best  gifts  within  the  growing  Christian  com¬ 
munity  should  be  claimed  for  Christian  leadership.  It  is  recognized,  of 
course,  that  along  with  ability  there  must  go  a  spirit  of  humility  and  con¬ 
secration.  When  young  men  and  women  who  possess  the  gifts  and  spirit 
requisite  to  effective  Christian  service  are  found  they  should  be  encouraged 
to  use  their  gifts  and  should  be  challenged  with  opportunity  to  augment  their 
powers  in  Christian  service. 

This  fundamental  work  of  securing  and  training  leaders  should  be  car¬ 
ried  on  with  all  grades  of  workers  from  village  deacon  or  young  teacher  to  • 
the  college  graduate.  Truly  qualified  leaders  who  have  emerged  into  a 
limited  sphere  of  activity  should  be  given  the  additional  training  which 
shall  fit  them  for  more  effective  leadership. 


PROPOSED  FOREIGX  MISSION  POLICIES 


11 


In  view  of  the  necessity  for  a  trained  leadership,  all  Christian  agencies 
are  urged  to  recognize  their  responsibility  for  fostering  and  supporting 
efficient  schools  and  such  other  agencies  and  activities  as  may  prove  of 
value  for  the  training  and  nurture  of  Christian  leaders. 

III.  Higher  Training  of  Leaders 

It  is  becoming  increasingly  possible  for  native  leaders  to  secure  adequate 
post-graduate  work  in  their  own  countries,  thus  securing  at  the  same  time 
the  conservation  of  desirable  national  traits  of  character  and  the  attainment 
of  high  standards  of  education.  It  will  still  be  necessary,  however,  to 
supplement  the  training  of  leaders  on  the  field  by  providing  for  further 
study  in  America  by  a  limited  number  of  exceptionally  qualified  Oriental 
students. 

Those  sent  abroad  for  study  should  possess  sound  character  and  genuine 
Christian  experience,  should  be  proved  in  active  service,  should  have  fully 
availed  themselves  of  facilities  for  higher  education  on  the  field,  and  should 
have  an  adequate  knowledge  of  English.  It  should  be  clearly  understood 
that  provision  for  the  financial  support  of  students  aided  in  study  abroad 
should  be  assured,  and  the  form  of  service  for  which  they  are  preparing,  as 
well  as  the  period  of  their  study  abroad,  should  be  carefully  determined 
before  they  leave  their  own  country.  Upon  their  return  from  America,  a 
normal  relationship  should  be  established  with  the  administrative  bodies  on 
the  field. 

IV.  Training  Lay  Leaders 

The  modern  foreign  mission  movement  has  undoubtedly  placed  undue 
emphasis  on  pay  for  Christian  service.  It  is  necessary,  therefore,  that  the 
responsibility  upon  Christians  of  all  grades  of  culture  to  exercise  their 
gifts  for  the  kingdom  be  clearly  taught  and  promoted  by  every  available 
means,  and  that  opportunities  for  their  training  be  provided.  From  among 
such  volunteer  workers  leadership  of  the  greatest  value  may  confidently 
be  expected. 

V.  Leadership  in  Community  and  State 

Baptist  polity,  tending  to  democracy  in  all  aspects  of  the  work,  furnishes 
a  training  providentially  favorable  to  wider  influence  in  these  days  of  grow¬ 
ing  social  and  political  democracy  in  the  Orient. 

The  tendency  of  native  Christians  to  find  places  of  service  in  community 
and  state  is  viewed  with  approval.  j 


12 


PROPOSED  FOREIGX  MISSION  POLICIES 


THE  PLACE  OF  WOMEN  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

The  elevation  of  women  in  Oriental  lands  has  been  in  a  very  large  meas¬ 
ure  due  to  the  Christian  message. 

In  almost  all  fields  there  are  outstanding  women  in  educational  circles. 
In  Japan  and  Burma,  especially,  women  have  also  been  active  in  reform 
movements.  There  are  indications  in  India  that  women  with  higher  educa¬ 
tion  are  beginning  to  take  active  part  in  political  councils. 

The  progress  of  the  churches  on  the  mission  fields  depends  far  more  than 
is  generally  realized  on  the  reaching  and  training  of  women  for  participa¬ 
tion  in  the  life  and  work  of  the  church.  There  are  many  and  convincing 
evidences  of  progress  in  gathering  women  into  the  churches,  in  educating 
girls  and  women  in  our  schools  and  in  developing  leadership  among  women 
in  local,  provincial  and  na.tional  organizations. 

There  still  remain  many  disturbing  conditions.  In  some  of  the  fields, 
fewer  than  forty  per  cent  of  the  church  members  are  women.  On  most 
fields,  there  is  a  serious  lack  of  trained  evangelistic  women  workers.  The 
evangelization  of  the  family  unit  has  often  been  neglected.  As  a  result  it  is 
very  difficult,  in  the  home  where  only  one  parent  is  Christian,  to  train  the 
children  in  Christian  ideals  or  to  interpret  Christ  convincingly  to  the  people 
of  the  community.  The  wives  of  many  Christian  workers  have  had 
insufficient  training  to  enable  them  to  make  positive  contributions  to  evan¬ 
gelism.  The  Christian  women  are  still,  in  many  instances,  ignorant  of  the 
simple  laws  of  hygiene  and  sanitation. 

The  Conference  would,  therefore,  emphasize  the  following  needs  in  the 
work  for  women; 

1.  More  women  missionary  evangelists. 

2.  More  missionary  nurses  with  special  training  in  health  education. 

3.  More  stress  upon  the  training  of  women  for  evangelistic  work  and 
of  wives  of  pastors  and  teachers. 

4.  More  effort  in  the  schools  and  churches  to  train  women  for  partici¬ 
pation  in  church  life,  to  follow  up  and  enlist  in  kingdom  service  those 
who  go  out  from  the  schools,  and  to  emphasize  the  rightful  place  of  work 
for  and  by  women  as  an  integral  part  of  the  entire  church  activity. 

THE  PLACE  AND  WORK  OF  THE  FOREIGN  MISSIONARY 
IN  THE  LIGHT  OF  CHANGED  CONDTIONS 

I.  Functions 

The  primary  work  of  the  missionary  is  to  lead  men  to  accept  Christ  as 
personal  Saviour  and  Lord.  In  this  age  when  missionary  service  is  more 
highly  specialized  than  it  was  a  generation  ago,  it  is  particularly  important 


PROPOSED  FOREIGN  MISSION  POLICIES 


13 


that  whatever  may  be  the  method  employed  by  him,  the  missionary  should 
never  lose  sight  of  his  supreme  mission.  His  contribution  is  spiritual ;  its 
fruitage  is  Christian  faith  and  purpose,  a  new  life,  a  new  devotion  to  God. 
It  is  this  result  alone  which  justifies  all  the  more  obvious  activities  of  the 
missionary.  Without  it,  specialization,  administrative  efficiency,  numerical 
results — important  though  they  all  are — lose  their  real  significance.  The 
missionary  should  be  pre-eminently  a  source  of  inspiration  to  leaders  in  the 
native  church,  and  should  emphasize  the  nurture  of  the  spiritual  life  of  the 
people  in  the  churches. 

II.  Attitude  Tov/ard  National  Ideals  and  Movements 

The  missionary  is  also  an  exponent  of  international  justice  and  good  will. 
As  such  he  should  be  free  from  all  racial  prejudice  and  should  endeavor  to 
appreciate  that  which  is  good  in  the  cultural  heritage  of  those  among 
whom  he  works.  He  should  make  every  effort  to  understand  their  national 
ideals  and  aspirations  and  to  encourage  every  movement  that  is  in  the  in¬ 
terest  of  their  welfare. 

III.  Attitude  Tov/ard  Other  Faiths 

Confident  himself  of  the  unique  place  that  Jesus  Christ  holds  as  the  one 
and  only  hope  of  the  world,  the  missionary  will  yet  gladly  acknowledge  that 
God  “hath  not  left  himself  without  witness”  in  any  land.  The  missionary 
will,  therefore,  sympathetically  study  the  religions  of  the  pepole  among 
whom  he  labors,  that  he  may  be  able  better  to  realize  their  religious  back¬ 
ground  and  more  effectively  to  lead  them  into  the  fullness  of  Christian 
truth. 


IV.  Relationships 

1.  With  the  Native  Christians. 

The  relationships  of  the  missionary  with  the  people  of  the  Christian 
community  should  be  both  friendly  and  cooperative.  As  far  as  possible, 
he  should  push  aside  the  accidental  barriers  which  hinder  genuine  friend¬ 
ship  and  Christian  brotherliness.  His  influence  should  not  be  dependent 
^  upon  the  authority  of  office  or  of  financial  relationship.  On  every  field 
the  missionary  and  the  native  Christian  should  regard  each  other  as  co- 
workers,  brothers  and  fellow-servants  of  Christ.  The  missionary  should 
be  an  exponent  of  equality  and  fraternity. 

2.  With  the  Native  Community. 

In  accepting  a  place  among  the  people  of  the  mission  field,  the  mission¬ 
ary  should  identify  himself  as  far  as  possible  with  the  community  in 


14 


PROPOSED  POREIGX  MISSIOX  POLICIES 


which  he  lives.  It  is  his  to  share  the  common  interests  and  problems  of 
the  community  and  so  to  conduct  himself  as  to  win  the  respect  and 
affection  of  the  people  as  a  whole. 

In  order  to  promote  more  natural  and  unimpeded  fellowship  with  the 
people  on  the  mission  fields,  it  is  urged  that  mission  residences  and  the 
general  style  of  living  be  kept  as  simple  as  is  compatible  with  health  and 
efficiency.  Every  effort  should  be  made  to  minimize  the  foreign  aspects 
of  the  missionary’s  life  and  work  and  to  remove  the  hindrances  resulting 
therefrom. 

3,  With  Fellow  Missionaries. 

The  relations  between  missionaries  should  be  the  highest  exemplifica¬ 
tion  of  the  Christian  spirit.  Older  missionaries  should  make  the  new 
missionary  cordially  welcome  from  the  time  of  his  first  arrival  in  the 
country.  No  effort  should  be  spared  to  enable  him  to  acquire  the  language 
and  to  obtain  such  other  assistance  and  guidance  as  will  best  prepare 
him  to  make  the  largest  contribution  to  the  advancement  of  the  kingdom. 
Before  the  new  missionary  leaves  America  it  should  be  made  clear  to  him 
that  only  by  a  willingness  to  seek  and  accept  the  advice  and  help  of  others 
can  he  profit  by  their  experience  and  be  of  the  greatest  usefulness. 

It  is  incumbent  on  the  mission  administration  and  the  Boards  to  spare 
no  pains  to  remove  every  condition  which  is  not  conducive  to  happy 
personal  relationships  in  missionary  service. 

4,  To  the  Mission  Organization. 

The  missionary  should  be  willing  to  cooperate  fully  with  the  mission 
organization,  and  the  Boards  should  satisfy  themselves  of  such  willing¬ 
ness  before  sending  him  to  the  field.  In  the  interest  of  such  cooperation, 
any  assurance  regarding  designation  and  work  which  may  be  given  can¬ 
didates  prior  to  leaving  America  should  be  in  accordance  with  previous 
understanding  with  the  missions  and  should  be  officially  communicated  to 
the  missions. 

5,  To  the  Board  and  the  Home  Constituency. 

The  individual  missionary  on  the  field  should  maintain  a  close  touch 
with  the  Boards  but  with  due  regard  to  the  need  of  thorough  and  hearty 
cooperation  with  the  mission  organization.  The  touch  with  the  home 
constituency  should  be  kept  intimate  to  the  end  that  the  missionary  may 
render  the  most  valuable  assistance  in  the  cultivation  of  the  home  base. 

Every  missionary  should  be  given  opportunity  to  meet  the  Boards  dur¬ 
ing  furlough.  Those  charged  with  special  administrative  responsibility 
should  be  brought  into  unhurried  conferences  with  the  B'^'^ds,  their  com¬ 
mittees  and  officers. 


V 


PROPOSED  FOREIGN  MISSION  POLICIES 


15 


V.  Language  Study 

The  Conference  would  urge  that  all  missions  take  all  practicable  measures 
to  insure  the  acquisition  by  all  missionaries  of  the  vernacular  of  the  people 
among  whom  they  work,  whatever  the  form  of  their  service  may  be.  A 
wilful  neglect  of  language  study  or  inability  to  acquire  a  working  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  language  might  well  be  adjudged  a  sufficient  reason  for  the 
recall  of  a  missionary.  All  such  cases  should  be  reported  by  the  reference 
committee  to  the  Boards. 

VI.  Study  During  Furlough 

As  a  rule  some  portion  of  each  furlough  should  be  spent  by  each  mis¬ 
sionary  in  systematic  study.  Deputation  work  should  be  so  arranged  as 
to  make  possible  cultural  and  inspirational,  as  well  as  physical,  recreation. 
Plans  should  be  made  to  enable  missionaries  to  gain  practical  experience 
along  lines  that  will  contribute  toward  increased  effectiveness  in  their 
special  line  of  work. 

VII.  Qualifications 

1.  Spiritual. 

Whatever  the  specialized  task,  indispensable  qualifications  of  every 
missionary  are  a  constant,  personal  experience  of  God,  a  clear  spiritual 
outlook  on  life  and  a  desire  above  all  else  to  lead  men  into  the  joy  and 
freedom  of  the  life  of  fellowship  with  Christ. 

2.  Educational. 

The  growing  magnitude  and  complexity  of  missionary  activity,  coupled 
with  the  ever  rising  standards  required  for  leadership  on  the  field,  make 
it  more  imperative  today  than  ever  before  that  the  missionary  be  possessed 
in  large  measure  of  clear  vision,  broad  sympathies,  intellectual  balance 
and  self-control.  These  qualities  should  be  developed  by  a  general  college 
course  or  its  equivalent,  supplemented  by  the  best  possible  professional 
training  for  special  work.  The  courses  of  study  should  include  foreign 
languages  and  there  should  be  proven  ability  to  acquire  a  language  with 
reasonable  ease.  Certain  other  qualifications  are  highly  desirable  for 
missionary  service,  such  as  a  general  familiarity  with  bookkeeping, 
methods  of  church  work,  and  the  religious  history  and  ideals  of  the 
people  to  whom  the  missionary  is  sent.  All  missionaries  should  have  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  Bible. 

3.  Health. 

The  importance  of  sound  physical  condition,  temperamental  balance 
and  a  rational  attitude  toward  the  whole  question  of  care  of  health 
should  be  emphasized. 


16 


PROPOSED  FOREIGX  MLSSIOX  POLICIES 


4.  Personal. 

a.  Cooperation.  The  relationships  of  missionaries  are  so  intimate 
and  vital  and  have  such  important  and  far-reaching  influence  on  the 
work  of  the  mission  as  a  whole,  that  the  fullest  and  most  complete  co¬ 
operation  of  the  missionary  with  his  fellow  missionaries  and  the  mis¬ 
sionary  organization  is  essential  to  the  work  in  every  mission  field. 
It  is  a  question  whether  a  missionary  who  has  clearly  shown  that  it  ih 
impossible  for  him  to  cooperate  with  his  fellow  missionaries  should  not 
be  recalled.  Certainly  no  one  should  be  appointed  as  a  missionary  who 
cannot  give  assurance  of  a  purpose  and  definite  determination  to  co¬ 
operate  to  the  fullest  extent  with  his  fellow  workers,  both  native  and 
foreign. 

b.  Alertness  of  mind.  The  missionary  task  is  becoming  continually 
more  and  more  involved,  delicate  and  difficult.  To  meet  this  situation 
the  missionary  must  be  intellectually  alert  and  have  a  mind  open  to  the 
currents  of  modern  thought  and  world  movements.  Every  missionary 
should  cultivate  habits  of  reading  and  study  such  as  will  provide  for 
continuous  intellectual  growth. 

c.  Capacity  for  friendship.  The  missionary  should  have  the  ability 
to  make  and  retain  friends,  for  without  this,  one  can  hardly  enter 
sympathetically  into  the  life  of  another  race.  The  cultivation  of  friend¬ 
ships  is  the  privilege  and  duty  of  every  missionary. 


VIII.  Conference  for  Outgoing  Missionaries 

The  Conference  recommends  to  the  Boards  of  Managers  serious  consid¬ 
eration  of  the  practicability  of  holding  a  summer  school  lasting  two  weeks 
or  more  for  new  appointees.  The  subjects  for  study  might  include  among 
others,  care  of  health  in  the  tropics  and  Orient,  mission  policies,  accounting, 
phonetics,  etc. 


IX.  Emphasis  in  Recruiting  Missionaries 

In  view  of  the  changing  conditions  on  the  mission  field  and  the  nature 
of  the  work  which  the  missionary  must  undertake,  the  Conference  recom¬ 
mends  that  in  recruiting  missionaries  a  clear  statement  should  be  made  con¬ 
cerning  the  qualifications  and  functions  of  the  missionary  in  the  present 
changing  conditions  and  that  special  emphasis  be  placed  upon  the  require¬ 
ment  of  willingness  to  serve  rather  than  desire  to  direct. 


PROPOSED  FOREIGN  MISSION  POLICIES 


17 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  ON  THE  MISSION  FIELDS 

I.  Objectives 

In  the  program  of  evangelizing  the  world  Christian  education  occupies 
an  indispensable  place.  While  the  schools  are  a  direct  and  conscious 
evangelistic  agency,  bringing  to  their  students  the  challenge  of  the  Chris¬ 
tian  gospel,  their  primary  educational  aim  is  to  develop  a  strong  Christian 
/  community  with  an  adequately  trained  leadership  and  an  intelligent  and 
responsible  laity. 

II.  Extent  of  Educational  Program 

The  above  mentioned  objectives  determine  the  lines  along  which  educa¬ 
tional  work  should  be  developed.  The  extent  of  the  work  must  be  deter¬ 
mined  by  taking  into  account  the  available  resources,  human  and  financial, 
both  from  America  and  on  the  field,  and  the  educational  facilities  provided 
by  the  government  or  by  private  bodies. 

To  fulfil  this  central  purpose  of  building  a  Christian  community,  Chris¬ 
tian  education,  for  the  present,  and  probably  for  some  time  to  come,  must 
conduct  schools  of  all  grades  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest.  The  number 
/  and  types  will  vary  according  to  the  needs  and  resources  of  the  various 
mission  fields.  Some  or  all  of  the  following  types  will  be  included : — 
kindergartens,  primary,  high  and  normal  schools,  vocational  schools,  colleges, 
Bible  schools  and  theological  institutions. 

It  would  seem  that  the  time  has  come  when  increased  attention  should 
be  given  to  vocational  training  by  means  of  the  rural-middle,  agricultural, 
industrial,  commercial  and  mother-craft  courses  or  schools,  and  also  to 
adult  education  in  mass  movement  areas. 

The  program  of  Christian  education  should  not  be  so  extensive  as  to 
make  impossible  the  maintenance  of  the  work  at  a  high  level  of  efficiency 
or  the  preservation  of  a  proper  balance  with  other  phases  of  work.  More¬ 
over,  in  developing  large  educational  institutions  the  goal  of  ultimate  trans¬ 
fer  of  authority  to  the  native  Christian  community  should  be  kept  in  mind. 

The  Conference  approves  the  policy  of  cooperation  with  other  denomina¬ 
tions  in  colleges  or  other  institutions  wherever  such  cooperation  makes 
possible  a  larger  and  better  equipped  institution.  Such  cooperation  should 
take  into  consideration  local  conditions  and  should  never  involve  sacrifice 
of  principle. 

The  Bible  training  school  and  the  theological  seminary  should  have  a 
prominent  place  in  each  mission. 

III.  Standards  for  Curriculum  and  Instruction 

The  standards  fixed  either  by  the  government  or  by  educational  associa¬ 
tions  should  be  adopted  so  far  as  they  do  not  conflict  with  our  objectives. 


18 


PROPOSED  FOREIGX  MISSION  POLICIES 


However,  such  standards  should  be  recognized  as  minimum  requirements  and 
efforts  should  be  made  to  set  standards  and  work  out  methods  better 
adapted  to  the  development  of  Christian  character. 

The  Conference  emphasizes  the  necessity  of  professional  training  for 
missionaries  and  nationals  engaged  in  educational  work.  Since  there  is  a 
serious  lack  of  trained  teachers  on  many  fields,  it  is  urged  that,  where 
needed,  the  mission  schools  provide  this  training.  Missionaries  should  take 
advantage  of  the  opportunity  of  furlough  in  America  for  study  and  ob¬ 
servation  of  the  best  educational  methods  so  that  the  work  abroad  may  be 
of  the  highest  quality. 

IV.  Maintaining  the  Christian  Character  of  Mission  Schools 

/  1.  Every  educational  missionary  should  be  evangelistic  in  spirit. 

2.  The  Conference  urges  as  an  immediate  goal  that  all  schools  be 
staffed  with  Christian  teachers  and  have  enough  Christian  students  to 
insure  a  Christian  atmosphere  sufficiently  strong  not  only  to  dominate 
the  schools  but  to  reach  beyond  the  students  to  their  homes. 

3.  The  claims  of  religious  education  should  be  first  in  conducting  all 
the  activities  of  the  school,  the  selecting  of  the  staff,  the  planning  of  the 
budget,  the  shaping  of  the  curriculum,  the  conduct  of  religious  exercises 
and  the  general  life  of  the  school.  To  this  end  Bible  study  should  con¬ 
tinue  to  hold  a  preeminent  place  in  the  curriculum.  However,  whether 
or  not  such  courses  should  be  made  compulsory  is  a  question  which  must 
be  settled  according  to  the  best  judgment  of  each  mission  in  the  light  of 
conditions  which  prevail  on  its  field.  Extra-classroom  activities  such  as 
scouting  and  athletics  should  be  organized  in  such  a  way  as  to  bring 
the  greatest  and  broadest  possible  Christian  impact  upon  the  lives  of  the 
pupils. 

4.  If  schools  face  the  situation  of  accepting  money  from  any  private 
source  under  conditions  which  would,  by  stipulation  or  implication, 
seriously  abridge  the  opportunity  of  the  schools  to  offer  religious  instruc¬ 
tion,  or  control  the  character  of  its  teaching,  the  financial  aid  should  be 
rejected. 

V.  Transfer  of  Administration  of  Schools  to  the  Christian  Community 

The  administration  and  responsibility  for  mission  schools  should  be  in¬ 
creasingly  transferred  to  local  churches  or  associations  or  to  Christian 
boards  of  control.  Along  with  this  transfer,  local  support,  including  en¬ 
dowments,  should  be  secured  until  the  schools  can  be  supported  entirely 
without  aid  from  America.  In  making  such  transfer  the  Christian  character 
of  the  institutions  should  be  safeguarded. 


PROPOSED  FOREIGN  MISSION  POLICIES 


19 


VI.  Relations  to  Governments  ^ 

1.  Missions  should  seek  government  registration  and  recognition  for 
,  their  schools  so  far  as  this  is  possible  without  imperilling  the  efficiency 
^  or  Christian  character  of  their  work. 

2.  The  Christian  forces  should  seek  all  possible  cooperation  with 
government  education.  Such  cooperation  may  consist,  for  example,  in  the 
training  of  teachers  who  will  find  their  sphere  of  usefulness  in  govern¬ 
ment  schools,  or  in  the  exertion  of  a  moral  and  religious  influence  on 
the  students  in  government  and  non-Christian  institutions. 

3.  The  Conference  is  in  agreement  with  the  present  practice  of  the 
Boards  of  Managers  that  grants-in-aid  may  be  accepted  for  mission 
schools  wherever  the  missions  concerned  consider  them  advisable.  How¬ 
ever,  in  view  of  the  gradual  acquisition  of  political  power  by  the  nationals 
of  India  and  the  effects  which  that  change  may  produce  in  educational 
policies,  school  managements  on  the  various  fields  should  be  awake  to  the 
dangers  of  the  present  situation,  and  if  they  find  that  such  cooperation  is 
destroying  the  distinctively  Christian  nature  of  the  schools,  the  Con¬ 
ference  would  favor  the  rejection  of  government  grants. 

MEDICAL  WORK 

I.  Objective 

The  paramount  task  of  medical  missions  is  the  winning  of  men  and 
women  to  Jesus  Christ.  The  Conference  therefore  recognizes  with  gratitude 
to  our  Lord  and  Master  the  earnest  evangelistic  spirit  pervading  our  medical 
work  all  over  the  world. 

II.  Program 

The  following  are  recognized  as  the  important  features  of  the  medical 
program  : 

1.  Medical  Practice. 

Considering  the  long  and  severe  training  that  doctors  have  undergone 
^  and  the  great  importance  and  need  of  medical  work  on  the  foreign  field, 
the  Conference  recommends  that  every  effort  be  made  by  the  mission 
organization  to  enable  mission  doctors  to  carry  on  their  work  with  the 
greatest  possible  efficiency  and  along  modern  scientific  lines.  To  this  end 
attention  is  called  to  the  following  points  : 

a.  That  unless  some  special  reason  exists,  duplication  should  be 

avoided  in  the  location  of  medical  work  in  order  that  as  many  as 
^  possible  may  be  reached  with  medical  aid. 


20 


PROPOSED  EOREICX  MlSSlOX  POLICIES 


b.  That  for  purposes  of  record  and  comparison,  the  forms  for  the 
report  of  hospital  and  dispensary  statistics  be  standardized. 

c.  That  in  attempting  to  secure  complete  self-support,  care  should 
be  taken  that  this  effort  should  not  result  in  meagre  equipment  and 
insufficient  number  of  hospital  assistants, 

d.  That  in  view  of  the  varying  needs  of  the  field  and  of  the  neces¬ 
sity  of  adequate  equipment,  each  field  should  be  asked  to  prepare  a  list 
showing  what  would  be  an  adequate  equipment,  with  an  estimate  of  the 
approximate  cost  of  the  same,  and  that  each  hospital  indicate  its  needs 
to  reach  this  standard. 

e.  That  the  offer  of  the  Woman’s  Board  to  supply  hospitals  of  both 
Societies  with  such  articles  as  are  prepared  by  the  White  Cross  Depart¬ 
ment  be  noted  with  thanks  and  that  all  mission  doctors  be  urged  to  do 
their  part  in  keeping  the  Woman’s  Board  informed  as  to  the  kind  and 
quantity  of  such  material  needed. 

f.  That  a  medical  missionary  in  order  that  he  may  do  the  best 
possible  professional  work  should  be  freed  from  other  responsibilities, 
except  as  he  himself  may  choose  to  undertake  them. 

g.  That  the  medical  missionary  be  urged  to  take  post-graduate  work 
on  every  furlough,  in  order  that  he  may  keep  abreast  of  the  times  and 
be  fitted  for  his  difficult  task. 

2.  Medical  Care  of  Christian  Workers. 

a.  The  care  of  the  health  of  missionaries  is  a  joint  task  of  the  field 
organization  and  the  medical  service  department  at  home.  The  Confer¬ 
ence  believes  that  the  importance  of  a  proper  medical  examination  and 
the  care  of  missionaries  is  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  amount  of  time  it  is 
possible  for  the  present  staff  at  the  home  office  to  devote  to  that  task. 
While  the  progress  made  and  the  difficulties  are  recognized,  it  is  the 
opinion  of  the  Conference  that  there  is  still  room  for  improvement  in  the 
quality  of  the  medical  examination  both  of  new  appointees  and  mission¬ 
aries  returning  on  furlough  and  in  the  general  provision  for  their  care. 
The  Conference  therefore  recommends: 

(a)  That  the  Boards  be  strongly  urged  to  appoint  to  the  staff  of 
the  home  offices  a  physician  who  can  devote  sufficient  time  to  the 
medical  questions  that  arise. 

(b)  That  there  be  consultation  which  will  lead  to  better  correla¬ 
tion  between  the  mission  doctors  on  the  field  and  the  medical  depart¬ 
ments  of  the  Boards. 


PROPOSED  EOREION  MISSION  POLICIES 


21 


(c)  That,  on  all  fields  where  there  is  medical  mission  work,  the  de¬ 
tails  connected  with  the  annual  medical  examination  of  missionaries  on 
the  field,  including  the  keeping  of  records,  be  handled  exclusively  by  the 
physicians. 

(d)  That  the  present  practice  concerning  medical  allowances  be 
continued  except  that  in  the  first  filling  of  an  optician’s  prescription 
lenses  be  chargeable  in  the  medical  bill. 

b.  Recognizing  the  importance  of  conserving  the  health  of  Christian 
workers  on  the  field  and  the  pupils  in  mission  schools,  the  Conference 
recommends  that  practical  measures  looking  to  better  provision  for  this 
need  be  taken. 

3.  Public  Health  Education. 

As  a  large  proportion  of  sickness  and  suffering  in  mission  lands  is  due 
to  preventable  causes,  the  Conference  urges  that  in  training  native  leaders 
preventive  medicine  be  recognized  as  a  definite  part  of  the  work.  The  fol¬ 
lowing  are  suggested  as  valuable  means  to  this  end : 

a.  Courses  in  primary  and  middle  schools  emphasizing  dietetics, 
village  sanitation  and  the  prevention  of  tuberculosis  and  other  com¬ 
municable  diseases. 

b.  Courses  for  girls  in  high,  normal  and  Bible  schools  emphasizing 
child  welfare  and  midwifery. 

c.  Popular  medical  teaching  at  public  gatherings  by  means  of 
lantern  lectures,  health  talks  and  chart  demonstrations. 

d.  Encouragement  and  development  of  public  health  measures  and 
the  training  of  Christians  to  service  along  this  line. 

4.  Medical  Education. 

Believing  that  increasingly  larger  portions  of  the  work  should  be  done 
by  the  people  of  the  country,  the  Conference  recommends  the  furtherance 
of  medical  education  and  suggests : 

a.  That  the  medical  needs  of  the  country  and  .Christian  community 
be  presented  to  the  boys  and  girls  graduating  from  mission  schools 
together  with  the  opportunities  for  Christian  service  offered  by  the 
medical  profession. 

b.  That  great  stress  be  laid  on  the  training  of  nurses  and  other 
hospital  assistants,  such  as  compounders  and  laboratory  workers. 


PROPOSED  POREIGX  MISSIOX  POLICIES 


c.  That  the  training  of  native  physicians  be  emphasized  and  that 

there  be  full  cooperation  in  existing  union  medical  schools. 

5.  Transfer  of  Medical  Work. 

With  the  progress  of  medical  education  in  the  East,  the  time  when 
foreign  physicians  may  be  eliminated  from  the  staff  of  mission  hospitals 
can  easily  be  envisioned,  but,  seeing  that  these  institutions  are  a  trust 
committed  to  us  by  the  Christians  of  America  for  the  propagation  of  the 
Christian  faith,  any  transfer  ^of  administration  must  be  in  harmony  with 
the  rules  of  transfer  in  force  with  the  Boards  and  so  safeguarded  as  to 
preserve  the  evangelistic  character  of  the  work. 

6.  Development  of  Medical  Interest  at  Home. 

The  Conference  recommends  that  effort  be  made, to  secure  one  or  more 
physicians  to  serve  as  members  of  the  Boards  with  the  hope  that  they  may 
associate  with  themselves  a  medical  group  who  would-be  asked  to  pro¬ 
mote  interest  in  medical  missions  among  the  members  of  the  profession. 

ADMINISTRATIVE  PROBLEMS 

I.  Place  and  Function  of  the  Boards  of  Managers 

1.  It  is  fully  recognized  that  the  Boards  of  Managers  of  the  American 
Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society  and  the  Woman’s  American  Baptist 
Foreign  Mission  Society  have  final  responsibility  for  the  determination  of 
policies  and  the  administration  of  the  work  on  the  foreign  fields. 

2.  Experience  on  all  fields  has  shown  that  the  best  results  in  the  dis¬ 
charge  of  these  obligations  can  be  secured  only  as  the  Boards  consult 
freely  with  the  missions  and  depend  on  the  largest  and  most  effective  co¬ 
operation  of  the  missionaries. 

3.  It  is  important,  therefore,  that  the  Boards  cooperate  with  the 
missions  in  developing  the  largest  sense  of  responsibility  and  in  effecting 
such  field  organizations  as  will  guide  the  Boards  in  the  formulation  of 
general  policies  and  will  represent  them  in  the  administration  of  the 
work. 

II.  Field  Administration 

1.  Unified  administration  on  the  field  is  absolutely  essential  to  secure 
the  best  results.  It  is  important,  therefore,  that  there  should  be  such 
close  consultation  and  cooperation  between  the  two  Boards  as  to  make 
this  possible. 


PROPOSED  FOREIGN  MISSION  POLICIES 


23 


2.  The  experience  of  a  number  of  missions  has  shown  that  unified 
administration  within  the  mission  is  promoted  by ; 

« 

a.  Adequate  representation  of  missionaries  of  the  Woman’s  Board 
on  all  mission  committees  and  especially  on  the  reference  or  executive 
committee. 

b.  Appointment  by  the  mission  of  a  woman’s  committee  to  serve  as 
a  sub-committee  of  the  reference  or  executive  committee  to  advise  on 
matters  pertaining  to  work  for  women. 

c.  Dependence  of  the  Boards,  as  far  as  possible,  on  the  reference 
or  executive  committee  for  guidance  in  all  matters  of  policy  and  ad¬ 
ministration. 

3.  The  progress  already  made  by  most  missions  in  delegating  admin¬ 
istrative  functions  to  a  reference  or  executive  committee,  while  reserv¬ 
ing  for  the  annual  mission  meeting  the  determination  of  policies  and  the 
right  of  review  of  the  actions  of  its  committees,  is  most  encouraging  and 
suggests  the  advisability  of  further  efforts  along  this  line. 

4.  The  following  recommendation  of  the  Newton  Center  Conference 
of  1917  has  been  put  into  effect  by  four  of  our  missions  with  much  satis¬ 
faction  and  benefit ; 

In  the  light  of  the  experience  of  some  of  the  missions,  a  mission  which  assumes 
large  responsibility  for  administrative  work  might  well  consider  the  question  of 
releasing  one  of  its  members  fromi  other  responsibilities  sufficiently  to  enable  him 
to  give  his  attention  to  the  task  of  familiarizing  himself  thoroughly  with  the  condi¬ 
tions  and  needs  of  the  entire  mission  with  a  view  to  giving  information  to  the  refer¬ 
ence  or  executive  committee  in  order  that  the  work  of  the  mission  may  be  properly 
conducted  and  a  consistent  policy  pursued. 

The  wisdom  of  this  policy  is  emphasized  at  the  present  time  by  the 
following  conditions : 

a.  The  increased  emphasis  on  field  administration  by  missions  of 
a  number  of  other  denominations. 

b.  The  enlarged  responsibilities  being  offered  to  the  missions  by 
our  own  Boards. 

c.  The  need  of  the  Boards  for  accurate  and  more  comprehensive 
data  regarding  conditions,  methods,  and  progress  of  the  work. 

d.  The  increasing  necessity  for  more  effective  and  more  frequent 
adjustments  in  activities  and  approach  to  meet  nationalistic  movements 

in  various  countries. 


24 


PROPOSED  EOREIGX  MISSIOX  POLICIES 


In  order  that  the  mission  secretary  may  render  the  most  effective  ser¬ 
vice,  the  mission  should  make  adequate  provision  from  its  budget  for 
help  in  this  work.* 

5.  If  the  best  results  are  to  be  secured  in  developing  policies  and  in 
providing  for  adequate  administration  of  the  work  or  in  maintaining 
the  most  helpful  relations  between  the  missions  and  the  Boards,  the 
missions  need  more  extended  visits  to  the  fields  of  the  Foreign  Secre¬ 
taries  of  both  Boards.  Consideration  should  also  be  given  to  the  question 
of  making  possible  more  frequent  brief  visits  to  the  home  land  of  field 
secretaries  when  in  the  judgment  of  the  reference  committee  and  the 
Boards  this  seems  necessary.  The  increased  service  which  can  thus  be 
rendered  to  the  missions,  to  the  Boards  and  to  the  constituency  at  home 
will  in  the  judgment  of  this  Conference  more  than  justify  the  expenditure 
of  time  and  money  required.  The  Conference  believes  that  a  Foreign  Sec¬ 
retary  cannot  render  his  best  service  either  at  home  or  on  the  field  unless 
it  is  possible  for  him  to  visit  the  field  at  least  once  in  three  years. 

III.  Frequency  and  Length  of  Furloughs 

The  Newton  Center  Conference  in  1917  made  the  following  recommenda¬ 
tion  : 

The  Conference  recommends  that  missions  so  desiring  be  permitted  to  make  trial 
of  the  plan  of  shortened  term  of  service  and  shortened  furlough. 

This  experiment  in  allowing  the  missions  to  adjust  furloughs  to  meet 
exigencies  of  the  work  has  been  tried  with  much  satisfaction  by  several  of 
the  missions. 

The  Conference  recommends  that  further  experiments  along  this  line  be 
made  embodying  the  following  principles; 

1.  That  a  furlough  schedule  for  each  mission  be  established  by  the 
Boards  with  the  advice  of  the  mission,  based  upon  a  term  of  service 
within  certain  maximum  and  minimum  limits. 

2.  That  the  determining  factors  for  fixing  furlough  schedules  within 
these  limits  be : 

a.  Health  considerations. 

b.  The  welfare  of  children. 

c.  The  best  interests  of  the  work  in  which  the  person  concerned  is 
engaged. 

d.  Furlough  schedules  of  colleagues  in  the  same  station  or  unit  of 
work. 


PROPOSED  POREJCX  MISSIOX  POLICIES 


25 


e.  The  use  to  be  made  of  the  furlough  period,  e.  g.,  study  or  special 

task  under  the  direction  of  the  mission  or  Boards. 

f.  The  necessity  for  the  mission  to  keep  within  its  total  appropria¬ 
tions  including  salaries,  furlough  passages,  etc. 

3.  That  in  approving  each  furlough  the  mission  and  Boards  should 
set  a  definite  limit  to  the  period  of  absence  from  the  field.  Absence 
should  not  be  extended  beyond  this  limit,  except  as  authorized  by  the 
medical  departments  of  the  Boards,  without  definite  approval  by  both 
the  mission  and  the  Board  concerned. 

4.  That  the  rule  long  in  practice  with  some  other  boards  be  adopted, 
to  the  effect  that  any  person  extending  his  or  her  furlough  absence 
beyond  the  limit  fixed  and  without  definite  approval  in  writing  from  the 
Board  for  such  extension  shall  forfeit  salary  for  the  period  of  excess. 

IV.  Retiring  Age  of  Missionaries 

The  Conference  recommends  that  the  retiring  age  of  missionaries  be 
sixty-five,  with  the  provision  that  the  period  of  service  may  be  extended 
by  agreement  between  the  missions  and  the  Boards,  such  extension  to  be 
reconsidered  every  three  years. 

V.  Indigenous  Churches  and  Administration" 

1.  While  originally  the  work  of  foreign  missions  centered  about  the 
person  of  the  foreign  missionary,  increasing  cognizance  should  now  be 
taken  of  the  organized  churches  that  have  developed  on  the  mission 
fields,  and  administration  of  Christian  work  in  those  lands,  including  the 
work  of  the  organized  missions  from  America,  should  be  transferred  to 
the  indigenous  church  as  rapidly  as  it  is  prepared  to  accept  and  able  to 
discharge  the  obligations  so  incurred. 

2.  Nationals  should  not  as  a  rule  be  brought  into  the  administrative 
work  of  the  mission  by  being  coopted  or  elected  to  mission  committees 
or  mission  conferences,  as  this  tends  to  weaken  the  indigenous  organi¬ 
zation  and  to  strengthen  the  impression  that  the  church  is  a  foreign 
institution.  On  the  other  band  the  personnel  and  form  of  organization 
should  be  strengthened  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  possible  the  effective 
transfer  of  administrative  responsibility. 

3.  Since  the  aim  is  to  build  up  churches  of  nationals  charged  with 
the  responsibility  of  winning  their  own  lands  for  Christ,  missionaries 
should  welcome  and  do  their  utmost  to  forward  the  development  of 


26 


PROPOSED  POREIGX  MISSIOX  POLICIES 


native  initiative  and  responsibility  and  should  use  every  endeavor  to 
hasten  the  day  when  the  church  is  prepared  to  direct  its  own  activities. 

4.  It  is  agreed  that  immediate  wholesale  transfer  of  the  work  is  not 
generally  desirable  or  practicable.  Pending  the  arrival  of  the  day  when 
all  work  can  be  transferred  to  exclusively  native  bodies,  it  is  recognized 
that  there  is  a  transition  period  when  there  should  be  direct  cooperation 
between  the  church  and  the  mission.  During  this  period  the  authority 
and  responsibility  of  the  mission  for  organization  and  administration  of 
such  w^ork  as  may  be  transferred,  together  with  the  appropriations  from 
the  Boards  for  the  same,  should  be  transferred  to  some  committee  or 
some  appropriate  and  responsible  organization  on  which  both  church  and 
mission  are  represented,  as  rapidly  as  responsibility  for  administration 
can  be  developed.  While  in  certain  instances  such  organizations  may  be 
temporary  or  purely  transitional,  the  effort  should  be  to  build  permanent 
indigenous  organizations  in  each  case.  Since  it  is  our  aim  to  foster  a  sense 
of  proprietorship  in  the  indigenous  church,  each  field  must  decide  in  the 
light  of  local  conditions  to  what  extent  and  for  how  long  a  period  mis¬ 
sionary  representation  on  such  bodies  should  be  continued. 

5.  Such  experience  as  has  bedn  accumulated  seems  to  show  that  cer¬ 
tain  forms  of  work  can  be  more  readily  and  effectively  transferred  than 
others.  In  certain  fields  progress  has  been  made  in  the  transfer  of 
evangelistic  and  hospital  work  and  various  phases  of  school  work.  These 
seem  to  offer  the  natural  line  of  approach  to  transfer.  In  making  transfer 
it  may  be  wise  to  gain  experience  in  the  transfer  of  work  appropriations 
in  any  given  department  before  responsibility  is  assumed  for  such  mat¬ 
ters  as  the  following : 

a.  Designation  and  transfer  of  missionaries. 

b.  The  relationship  of  missionaries  to  the  responsible  organization. 

c.  The  request  to  the  Boards  for  missionary  reinforcements. 

d.  The  opening  of  new  work  or  the  continued  maintenance  of  exist¬ 
ing  work. 

6.  During  the  period  of  cooperative  administration,  for  the  present  at 
least,  the  following  general  principles  are  suggested : 

a.  National  representatives  on  controlling  bodies  should  be  selected 
by  the  convention  or  some  related  group  and  should  report  back  to 
their  own  constituency. 

b.  Power  of  distributing  budgets  should  include  the  responsibility 
for  raising  funds  locally  and  meeting  deficits. 


PROPOSED  PORE] a. \  MISSION  POLICIES 


27 


c.  Missionary  representatives  on  these  controlling  bodies  should  be 
chosen  by  the  mission  and  should  be  responsible  to  the  mission  and  the 
Boards. 

d.  Administrative  relationships  of  the  Boards  in  America  with  the 
indigenous  church  should  still  be  through  the  mission,  though  the 
Boards  will  naturally  maintain  direct  fraternal  relations  with  the  church 
and  foster  a  sense  of  comradeship  in  the  common  task  of  establishing 
the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth. 

7.  Financial  Relationships  During  the  Period  of  Cooperative  Adminis¬ 
tration. 

'*a.  During  the  transition  period,  in  the  interest  of  the  fullest  fellow¬ 
ship  between  missionaries  and  native  leaders,  responsibility  for  fixing 
salaries  should  be  transferred  from  individual  missionaries  to  properly 
constituted  committees  and  financial  administration  should  as  rapidly 
as  possible  be  so  adjusted  as  to  make  it  unnecessary  for  the  individual 
missionary  to  have  financial  relationships  with  native  workers  or  local 
churches  in  such  matters  as  the  payment  of  salaries,  rent,  travel,  etc. 

b.  As  a  condition  of  transferring  to  cooperative  organizations  rep¬ 
resenting  both  the  churches  and  the  mission  the  administration  of  appro¬ 
priations  made  by  the  Boards,  provision  should  be  made  for  such 
financial  reports  and  review  of  accounts  as  will  give  to  the  Boards 
adequate  assurance  that  the  funds  are  expended  in  harmony  with  poli¬ 
cies  approved  by  the  Boards. 

8.  Transfer  of  Property. 

Ultimately  the  ownership  of  church,  school  and  hospital  buildings 
erected  on  the  mission  field  with  funds  appropriated,  in  whole  or  in  part, 
by  the  Boards,  should  be  transferred  by  sale  or  otherwise  to  the  indi¬ 
genous  Christian  community  on  conditions  to  be  mutually  agreed  upon. 
During  the  period  of  cooperative  administration,  however,  the  transfer  of 
such  properties  should  proceed  gradually  and  should  be  accompanied 
by  adequate  safeguards  against  misuse  or  alienation.  While  the  wide 
differences  in  conditions  on  the  several  fields  make  it  difficult  to  suggest 
specific  rules  covering  cases  of  transfer,  the  situation  in  certain  of  the 
fields  is  such  as  to  require  early  and  careful  consideration  of  this  prob¬ 
lem  and  it  is  therefore  recommended  that  the  Boards  undertake  corre¬ 
spondence  with  each  mission  with  a  view  to  working  out  a  policy  suited 
to  the  local  conditions.  N 

In  the  study  of  this  problem  such  questions  as  the  following  call  for 
consideration : 


28 


PROPOSED  FOREIGX  MfSSIOX  POLICIES 


a.  At  what  stage  in  the  development  of  native  responsibility  in 
administration  of  the  work  should  property  be  transferred  to  the  native 
bodies  ? 

b.  To  what  extent  will  the  fact  that  a  building  has  been  provided 
through  specific  gifts  affect  the  transfer? 

c.  Is  it  advisable  to  make  the  transfer  in  two  processes? 

(a)  Management  and  control  of  the  property  under  agreed  condi¬ 
tions,  the  Board  retaining  legal  title  but  giving  to  the  native  body 
a  written  statement  that  the  property  is  held  in  trust  for  that  or¬ 
ganization. 

(b)  Complete  transfer  of  title  to  a  native  body  formed  as  a 
juridical  person  under  the  laws  of  the  country. 

d.  To  what  indigenous  organization  should  the  management  and 
ultimately  the  title  to  the  property  be  transferred? 

(a)  Should  church  properties  be  transferred  to  the  local  church 
organization  or  to  the  convention  or  other  organization  formed  as  a 
juridical  person? 

(b)  In  the  case  of  mission  institutions,  such  as  schools  and  hos¬ 
pitals,  having  local  boards  of  trustees,  should  the  transfer  be  made 
to  those  boards  formed  as  juridical  persons  or  to  the  convention? 

e.  What  safeguards  can  be  secured  in  the  case  of  transfer  of  prop¬ 
erty  to  an  indigenous  organization  against  diversion  from  the  original 
purpose  or  complete  alienation  in  view  of  possible  changes  in  political 
situations  or  attitude  of  native  bodies? 

f.  What  conditions  of  reimbursement,  if  any,  to  the  Boards  should 
be  attached  to  the  transfer  of  control  or  ownership  of  mission  prop¬ 
erty  to  the  indigenous  organization? 

(a)  Complete  or  partial  reimbursement? 

(b)  Reversion  of  funds  to  the  treasury  of  the  Boards  or  creation 
of  a  building  fund  on  the  field? 

g.  How  can  the  transfer  of  control  and  ownership  of  property  be 
made  a  means  of  fostering  initiative,  leadership  and  responsibility  on 
the  part  of  the  indigenous  churches? 


PROPOSED  EOREIGX  MISSION  POLICIES 


29 


FINANCIAL  PROBLEMS 

Without  in  the  least  degree  overlooking  or  minimizing  the  spiritual 
torces  available  under  right  conditions  for  the  prosecution  of  the  mission¬ 
ary  enterprise,  it  may  be  stated  as  an  undeniable  principle  that  such  human 
personalities  and  material  resources  as  are  sought  and  secured  should  be 
applied  to  the  task  with  the  best  wisdom  and  under  the  most  favorable 
conditions  possible,  in  order  that  the  largest  and  most  worthwhile  results 
may  be  attained  in  the  direction  of  our  primary  objectives. 

I.  Readjustments  in  Work  on  the  Fields 

1.  The  present  resources  of  the  two  Foreign  Mission  Societies  and  their 
prospective  income  for  the  immediate  future,  even  assuming  a  moderate 
increase,  are  so  manifestly  inadequate  to  meet  the  financial  requirements 
for  missionary  staff,  mission  work  and  property  equipment  needed  to  carry 
out  the  programs  of  work  and  field  occupation  now  held  by  the  missions 
as  to  make  imperative  readjustments  in  those  programs. 

2.  Response  to  providential  and  promising  opportunities  that  may  pre¬ 
sent  themselves  and  to  unforeseen  situations  that  are  likely  to  arise  out 
of  the  nationalistic  developments  so  in  evidence  on  many  of  the  fields 
cannot  be  assured  except  as  funds  can  be  released  from  work  now  being 
maintained. 

3.  Effective  work  along  the  lines  of  the  general  policy  of  the  Boards 
and  the  missions  as  a  whole  may  require,  in  the  absence  of  increased  in¬ 
come,  the  transfer  of  funds  from  certain  units  of  the  work  to  the  support 
of  other  units  deemed  by  the  mission  more  vital  to  its  program. 

4.  Readjustments  within  the  missions  might  involve  the  discontinuance  or 
reduced  support  of  stations,  institutions  or  phases  of  work.  Such  readjust¬ 
ments  should  be  made  by  the  Boards  only  after  an  exhaustive  study  of 
conditions  and  full  consultation  with  the  missions  concerned. 

5.  In  making  these  readjustments  within  the  missions,  the  following 
possibilities,  with  others,  may  well  be  considered  : 

a.  Transfer  of  a  station  or  institution  to  indigenous  organizations. 

b.  Substitution  of  nationals  for  missionaries  in  the  conduct  of  work. 

c.  Combination  of  two  stations  or  such  arrangement  of  work  that  one 

missionary  or  national  leader  can  care  for  more  than  one  station. 

d.  Transfer  of  a  station,  institution  or  work  to  some  other  mi«6ion 

prepared  to  accept  the  responsibility. 


30 


PROPOSED  POREIGX  MISSION  POLICIES 


e.  Discontinuance  of  a  station  or  work  that  is  relatively  unfruitful 
after  long  cultivation. 

f.  Discontinuance  of  a  station  or  work  in  which  the  cost  of  mainten¬ 
ance  is  disproportionately  high  as  compared  with  the  results  secured. 

g.  Xon-replacement  of  missionaries  retiring  from  stations  where 
meager  results  are  shown. 

h.  Discontinuance  of  native  workers  least  capable  of  effective  service. 

The  Conference  therefore  recommends  that  each  mission  without  delay 
study  afresh  and  most  carefully  its  objectives  and  program  of  work  and 
decide  which  phases  or  units  are  most  worthy  of  continued  and  increased 
support  and  what  readjustments  can  be  made  in  case  it  is  necessary  to  re¬ 
lease  funds  for  this  or  other  p-urposes.  The  Boards  should  be  kept  con¬ 
stantly  informed  of  the  progress  and  results  of  such  studies. 

II.  Basis  of  Distribution  by  the  Boards  of  Total  Funds  Available 

1.  Considerations  of  equity  among  the  mission  fields  and  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  greater  responsibility  on  the  part  of  the  organized  missions  make  it 
desirable  that  some  method  be  adopted  for  dividing  the  total  funds  avail¬ 
able  each  year  for  appropriation  by  the  Boards  for  the  work  of  the  mis¬ 
sions  in  such  manner  as  to  ensure  to  each  mission  a  proportionate  and 
relatively  stable  budget. 

2.  The  equitable  or  proportionate  share  of  each  mission  in  the  total 
funds  should  be  determined  after  full  representations  by  the  missions  indi¬ 
vidually,  and  unitedly  if  possible,  in  the  light  of  such  principles  as: 

a.  Average  proportion  actually  received  by  each  mission  over  a  period 
of  years,  e.g.,  five.  (See  Exhibit  C,  Tables  I  and  II.) 

b.  Age,  condition  and  history  of  the  work. 

c.  Degree  of  success  in  realizing  the  primary  aims  of  the  mission  as 
approved  by  the  Boards. 

d.  Adequacy  of  programs  and  personnel  for  accomplishment  of  these 
aims. 

e.  Cost  of  conducting  work  in  a  given  area,  including  cost  of  travel 
to  the  field. 

f.  Proximity,  strength  and  character  of  work  of  other  agencies  or 
denominations. 


g.  Peculiar  opportunities. 


PROPOSED  FOREIGN  MISSION  POLICIES 


31 


3.  The  fixing  of  the  proportionate  share  of  each  mission  will  result  in 
the  establishment  of  a  series  of  percentages  which  may  be  taken  as  a  basis 
of  distribution  for  a  period  of  3''ears. 

4.  The  total  amount  to  be  allocated  on  the  percentages  thus  established 
should  include  all  of  the  normal  expenditures  of  the  mission,  i.e.,  mission¬ 
ary  salaries,  passages  (except  in  case  of  emergency  furloughs),  work 
appropriations  (including  higher  institutions  of  learning),  care  of  property, 
new  appointees  and  a  portion,  at  least,  of  property  additions.  A  portion 
of  the  funds  for  property  additions  and  a  contingent  fund  for  emergencies 
should  be  reserved  for  direct  appropriation  by  the  Boards. 

5.  The  percentages  governing  the  distribution  should  be  revised  from 
time  to  time  in  the  light  of  changing  conditions  and  needs  on  the  fields. 

III.  Increased  Responsibility  of  the  Missions  in  Administration  of 

Funds 

The  mutually  satisfactory  results  of  the  adoption  by  nearly  all  of  the 
missions  of  the  plan  of  “appropriations  in  gross,”  covering  funds  for  mis¬ 
sion  work  and  care  of  property,  suggest  the  advisability  of  transferring  to 
the  missions,  provided  practicable  means  can  be  devised,  additional  powers 
and  responsibilities  in  the  distribution  and  administration  of  appropria¬ 
tions. 

1.  The  mission  should  be  held  responsible  for  keeping  its  expenditures 
within  the  amount  of  the  budget  representing  its  proportionate  share  of  the 
funds  available. 

2,  The  mission  should  have  responsibility  for  maintaining  a  proper 
balance  of  expenditures  among  the  general  budget  classes,  such  as  mission- 
arj’  salaries,  passages,  mission  work,  care  of  property,  new  appointees, 
additions  to  property^  and  for  the  allocation  of  released  or  new  funds 
among  these  items.  This  would  include  the  transfer  of  funds,  in  harmony 
with  plans  and  conditions  approved  by  the  mission  and  the  Boards,  from 
the  support  of  missionary  staff  to  the  support  of  indigenous  agencies. 

IV.  Extension  of  Appropriations  in  Gross 

The  Conference  therefore  recommends  that  as  a  means  of  accomplishing 
the  aims  expressed  in  II  and  III  above,  the  following  plan  for  extension  of 
the  principle  of  appropriations  in  gross  be  submitted  for  the  favorable 
consideration  of  the  missions  and  the  Boards : 


32 


PROPOSED  EOREIGX  MISSION  POLICIES 


1.  Objects  sought. 

a.  Proportionate  and  more  carefully  planned  distribution  of  funds 
among  the  missions. 

b.  Larger  responsibility  on  the  part  of  each  mission  for  the  distribu¬ 
tion  of  its  total  budget. 

2.  Main  features  of  the  plan. 

a.  As  related  to  action  by  the  Boards. 

(a)  Determination  of  total  amount  of  budget. 

Determine  the  total  amount  which  can  be  appropriated  to  all  the 
missions  together  each  year  from  regular  budget  funds. 

This  amount  will  include  field  and  home  salaries  of  missionaries, 
passages  to  and  from  the  field  (except  in  case  of  emergency  furloughs), 
mission  work  and  care  of  property,  new  appointees.  Oriental  students 
and  a  definite  part  of  the  provision  for  land,  buildings  and  equipment. 

Appropriations  for  the  maintenance  of  colleges  and  union  institu¬ 
tions,  except  woman’s  colleges  where  so  desired  by  the  Woman’s 
Board,  will  be  included  in  the  percentage  distribution,  with  the  clear 
understanding  that  no  change  will  be  made  in  the  amount  allotted  to 
any  such  institution  unless  approved  by  the  Boards. 

(b)  Determination  of  proportionate  share  of  each  mission  in  total 
budget. 

Calculate  the  proportionate  share  of  each  mission  in  this  total  sum 
on  the  basis  of  the  average  percentage  each  mission  has  received  of 
the  total  appropriations  to  the  missions  during  the  past  five  years. 

These  percentages  may  be  modified  by  the  Boards,  if  and  as  deemed 
best,  after  careful  study,  with  the  advice  of  the  missions,  as  to  whether 
the  trend  of  the  past  five  years  represents  the  proper  relative  emphasis 
for  the  immediate  future. 

(c)  Annual  appropriations  to  the  missions  for  budget  items. 

Make  final  budget  appropriations  to  the  missions  as  heretofore,  pro¬ 
viding  for  the  normal  field  and  home  salaries,  for  passages  due  under 
the  established  rules  and  for  mission  work  and  c^re  of  property  on  the 
same  basis  as  for  the  preceding  year. 

These  appropriations  may  include  an  adjustment  reserve  fund  for  the 
mission  designed  to  care  for  salary  and  passage  adjustments  during  the 
year. 

(d)  Relation  of  actual  appropriations  for  each  mission  to  its  pro¬ 
portionate  share. 

Compare  the  total  of  such  actual  appropriations  for  each  mission 
with  the  proportionate  percentage  share  of  the  mission  as  previously 
determined. 


PROPOSED  FOREJGX  MISSIOX  POLICIES 


33 


Any  margin  between  the  percentage  share  and  the  actual  appropria¬ 
tions  for  items  indicated  in  section  (c)  will  be  made  available  to  the 
mission  for  work  appropriations,  new  appointees.  Oriental  students  or 
land,  buildings  and  equipment  on  the  basis  of  requests  received  from 
the  mission  arranged  in  the  order  of  priority.  Any  supplementary 
appropriations  during  the  year,  including  salary  and  passage  adjust¬ 
ments,  with  the  exception  of  those  due  to  emergency  furlough  or  for 
emergency  items,  shall  also  be  applied  against  the  percentage  share  of 
the  mission. 

(e)  Transfer  of  excess  or  savings  to  following  year. 

Any  excess  of  actual  appropriations  and  expenditures  over  the 
percentage  share  of  the  mission  will  be  carried  as  a  first  charge  against 
the  percentage  share  of  the  following  year  and  any  savings  under  the 
percentage  share  will  be  carried  forward  as  an  addition  to  the  per¬ 
centage  share  of  the  following  year. 

For  the  accomplishment  of  this  purpose  the  Treasury  Department 
will  maintain  memorandum  accounts  with  each  mission  based  on  its 
percentage  share  of  distributable  funds. 

(f)  This  procedure  will  be  repeated  from  year  to  year. 

(g)  Adjustment  of  continued  excess  over  proportionate  share. 

Any  mission  that  appears  to  be  accumulating  over  a  period  of  two 

or  three  years  an  excess  of  expenditures  above  its  percentage  share 
which  cannot  be  adjusted  within  that  percentage  share  shall  have  its 
attention  called  to  the  situation  and  the  Board  concerned  will  decide 
as  to  the  best  method  of  meeting  the  situation. 

(h)  Revision  and  modification  of  percentages. 

The  Boards  shall  be  free,  at  any  time,  to  alter  the  percentages  after 
consultation  with  the  missions  specially  concerned  in  the  light  of  decision 
to  strengthen  or  to  reduce  the  work  in  any  mission.  The  Boards  should 
consider  the  practicability  of  arranging  for  periodic  conferences  with 
representatives  of  the  various  missions  for  the  review  of  the  percent¬ 
age  distribution. 

(i)  Items  withheld  from  percentage  distribution. 

The  Boards  will  withhold  from  the  percentage  distribution  a  certain 
portion  of  the  general  budget  item  for  land,  buildings  and  equipment  and 
may  allocate  this  amount  to  particular  needs  at  their  discretion. 

The  Boards  will  also  withhold  from  the  percentage  distribution  a 
substantial  contingent  fund  for  the  purpose  of  meeting  extraordinary 
emergencies  either  in  foreign  field  or  home  expenditures. 

b.  As  related  to  action  by  the  missions. 

A  mission  may  adopt  any  one  of  the  following  courses : 


34 


PROPOSED  FOREIGX  MISSIOX  POLICIES 


(a)  Continuance  of  present  procedure, 

A  mission  may  continue  to  submit  its  estimates  in  the  same  manner 
as  at  present  for  mission  work  and  care  of  property  and  its  statement 
of  needs  for  missionary  reinforcement  and  for  land,  buildings  and 
equipment.  Each  group  of  needs,  however,  should  be  arranged  in 
order  of  priority. 

(b)  Expression  of  choice  as  to  use  of  margin. 

It  may  undertake,  when  presenting  its  estimates,  to  indicate  how 
any  margin  between  its  percentage  share  and  the  actual  requirements 
for  normal  salaries  and  passages  and  for  work  and  care  of  property 
appropriations  as  in  the  preceding  year  should  be  applied,  i.e.,  for 
increased  work  appropriations,  new  appointees.  Oriental  students  or 
land,  buildings  and  equipment.  A  mission  may  also  undertake  to  ad¬ 
just  furloughs  where  practicable  so  as  to  maintain  a  desired  margin 
for  the  purposes  suggested. 

(c)  Preparation  of  estimates  covering  entire  mission  budget. 

It  may  undertake  when  presenting  its  estimates  to  cover  its  entire 
budget  or  share  of  distributable  funds,  including  field  and  home  sal¬ 
aries,  passages,  mission  work,  care  of  property,  new  appointees.  Oriental 
students  and  land,  buildings  and  equipment.  This  last  procedure  should 
be  approved  only  when  the  Boards  are  satisfied  that  the  mission  has 
the  proper  organization  to  undertake  such  a  responsibility. 

V.  Miscellaneous 

1.  Children’s  Allowances. 

The  Conference  recommends  that  the  present  basis  of  calculating  the 
additions  to  the  basal  missionary  salary  for  children’s  allowances,  which  is 
that  the  allowance  be  figured  from  the  actual  day  of  the  month  on  which 
the  birthday  occurs,  be  changed,  and  that  children’s  allowances  be  figured 
from  the  first  day  of  the  month  in  which  the  birthday  occurs. 

That  the  present  percentage  rate  for  children’s  allowances  on  the  field, 
namely  for  children  between 

1  and  6,  10%  of  full  local  salary 
6  and  12,  15%  “  “ 

12  and  16,  20%  “  “  “  “  ' 

16  and  20,  25%  “  “ 

he  changed,  and  that  a  definite  amount  be  determined  for  each  field,  which 
would  approximate  the  amount  of  present  rates. 


PROPOSEf)  FOREIGX  MISSION  POLICIES 


35 


2.  Exchange  on  Salaries  and  Home  Remittances. 

The  Conference  recommends  that  the  present  ruling  in  connection  with 
the  guaranteed  rate  of  exchange  on  salary  be  reaffirmed  and  that  the  fol¬ 
lowing  interpretations  be  made  as  to  the  application  of  this  rule : 

a.  That  the  missionary  be  charged  at  the  guaranteed  rate  of  ex¬ 
change  for  all  payments  made  in  America  from  salary  account. 

b.  That  the  missionary  be  charged  at  the  guaranteed  rate  of  ex¬ 
change  for  all  purchases  of  the  mission  treasurer’s  sight  drafts  for 

payments  made  from  salary  account. 

c.  That  balances  of  outfit  and  refit  appropriations  remaining  unex¬ 
pended  be  made  available  to  the  missionary  on  the  field  at  the  guaranteed 
rates. 

d.  That  the  missionary  be  allowed  to  pay  for  goods  purchased  from 
mission  work  appropriations,  either  by  drafts  drawn  by  the  Home  Treas¬ 
urer  on  the  missionary  or  by  the  purchase  of  sight  drafts  through  the 
mission  treasurer  at  the  current  rate  of  exchange. 

3.  Missionary  Accounts  and  Overdrafts. 

a.  The  necessity  for  the  keeping  of  proper  accounts  and  the  render¬ 
ing  of  adequate  reports  to  the  Boards  covering  the  receipt  and  expendi¬ 
ture  of  all  mission  funds  is  clearly  recognized.  Assistance  in  securing 
an  elementary  knowledge  of  bookkeeping  and  particularly  the  preparation 
by  the  Boards  of  a  simple  manual  of  instructions  in  the  keeping  of 
mission  accounts  would  be  heartily  welcomed. 

b.  The  accounts  of  mission  treasurers  and  of  the  larger  mission 
institutions  should  be  audited  by  public  accountants  where  this  can  be 
done  without  excessive  cost  or  by  other  competent  disinterested  persons, 
and  a  report  of  the  audit  should  be  sent  to  the  Home  Treasurers. 

The  accounts  of  smaller  institutions  and  of  all  the  individual  mission¬ 
aries  should  be  on  some  uniform  system  and  should  be  reviewed  by  the 
reference  or  executi’'?e  committee  of  the  mission  or  by  a  special  auditing 
committee  or  in  some  other  manner  arranged  by  the  reference  com¬ 
mittee  and  approved  by  the  Boards.  The  results  of  the  audit  should  be 
communicated  to  the  Home  Treasurers. 

c.  The  overdrawing  by  missionaries  on  salary  account  beyond  the 
advance  of  one  month  provided  under  the  present  rule  cannot  be  justified 
except  in  an  extraordinary  emergency.  The  Boards  may  properly  enlist 
the  cooperation  of  the  reference  committee  with  the  mission  treasurer 
in  an  endeavor  to  prevent  such  overdrafts  and  to  secure  their  reduction 


36 


PROPOSED  POREICX  MISSIOX  POLICIES 


if  incurred.  In  certain  frontier  fields  and  stations  an  advance  of  two  or 
three  months’  salary  may  be  allowed  on  vote  of  the  reference  committee 
and  the  Boards. 

The  overdrawing  of  work  accounts  is  in  essence  a  demand  for  preferred 
treatment  as  against  the  effort  of  the  reference  committee  to  maintain 
an  equitable  distribution  of  funds.  No  overdraft  in  work  appropria¬ 
tions  should  be  permitted  except  as  approved  by  the  reference  com¬ 
mittee  and  that  committee  should  deal  with  all  overdrafts  and  deficits 
in  connection  with  the  allotment  of  appropriations  for  the  following 
year,  such  overdraft  to  be  a  first  charge  on  account  of  appropriations  for 
the  year.  It  is  suggested  that  the  Boards  consider  the  establishment,  in 
mission*  where  advances  to  meet  special  requirements  are  shown  to  be 
necessary,  of  a  special  fund  under  the  control  of  the  reference  com¬ 
mittee  from  which  loans  or  advances  may  be  made,  the  committee  to  be 
responsible  for  the  reimbursement  and  restoration  of  the  fund  to  its  full 
amount  at  the  close  of  each  fiscal  year, 

d.  Under  no  circumstances  should  a  missionary  or  mission  institution 
loan  funds  or  borrow  funds  locally  or  otherwise  financially  involve  the 
mission  or  Boards,  either  with  or  without  giving  security,  unless  specifi¬ 
cally  authorized  to  do  so  by  the  Board  concerned. 

4.  Class  of  Steamship  Accommodations. 

The  Conference  approves  the  policy  of  the  Boards  as  published  in  The 
Messenger  of  August  1,  1922  with  respect  to  passages  and  suggests  the 
following  interpretations : 

a.  Class  of  passage. 

That  the  classes  of  steamer  accommodations  at  present  in  use  be  ap¬ 
proved  as  follows : 

Trans- Atlantic :  one  class  cabin  or  second  class  on  larger  steamers. 

Great  Britain  to  India  and  Burma; 

P,  &  O.  Mail :  second  class. 

P.  &  O.  Intermediate:  first  class.  ^ 

B.  I.,  City,  Hall,  Anchor  and  Henderson  Lines;  first  class. 

Trans-Pacific:  first  class. 

It  should  be  explained  that  no  second  class  is  offered  by  the  American 
Lines  in  Trans-Pacific  service,  and  that  first  class  on  these  lines  is  com¬ 
parable  to  one  class  cabin  on  the  Atlantic  in  point  of  accommodations 
and  cost  when  we  consider  the  length  of  voyage. 

b.  Arrangements  for  passage  and  passage  allowance. 

It  is  requested  that  all  passage  accommodations  to  and  from  the  field 


rROrOSEl)  FORIiJCX  MISSfOX  POLICIES 


37 


shall  be  arranged  through  Home  or  Mission  Treasurers.  Missionaries 
may,  however,  receive  a  fixed  travel  allowance  and  make  their  own  ar¬ 
rangements.  Any  deviation  from  the  direct  route  that  involves  unusual 
risk  to  health  or  a  considerable  lengthening  of  the  time  required  for  the 
journey,  shall  be  subject  to  approval  by  the  Boards  and  missions. 

When  travel  to  or  from  the  field  is  taken  by  any  other  than  the  direct 
route,  the  allowance  shall  be  an  estimated  amount  by  the  usual  route 
and  the  basis  of  figuring  the  allowance  shall  be  as  follows : 

Ca)  Mission  station  or  home  in  America  to  usual  port  of  departure. 

(b)  Steamer  ticket  usual  route. 

(c)  Steamer  tips. 

(d)  Hotel  bills  for  approved  stay  at  port  of  departure  or  arrival 

and  approved  stop-over  port  and  cost  of  handling  baggage. 

(e)  Minimum  direct  rail  ticket  from  port  of  arrival  to  station  or 

home. 

(f)  Pullman  ticket  or  corresponding  ticket  for  above. 

(g)  Meals  enroute  on  railroad. 

(h)  Passport  with  usual  visas. 

(i)  Customary  allowances  expended  for  contingencies  via  usual 

route. 

The  final  settlement  of  the  travel  account  should  always  be  made  by 
the  home  office.  It  is  found  that  a  more  equitable  adjustment  can 
be  made  when  an  abbreviated  travel  statement  is  furnished  for  the  jour¬ 
ney,  even  though  it  is  by  an  indirect  route.  The  acceptance  of  a  travel 
allowance  made  on  the  basis  of  the  class  of  accommodations  in  the  pre¬ 
ceding  paragraph  implies  that  the  same  or  similar  class  of  passage  be 
used  on  the  indirect  route.  The  reasons  for  using  the  above  class  of 
accommodations  when  a  missionary  is  traveling  at  the  expense  of  the 
Society  apply  equally  when  the  missionary  is  making  his  own  arrange¬ 
ments.  Therefore,  when  a  missionary  uses  accommodations  inferior  to 
those  approved  by  the  home  office,  the  difference  between  the  cost  of  the 
approved  accommodations  and  the  accommodations  used  shall  be  applied 
to  the  reduction  of  the  calculated  allowance. 

The  mission  treasurers  are  to  be  furnished  with  such  information  as 
to  enable  them  to  estimate  for  the  guidance  of  the  missionary  the  approx¬ 
imate  travel  allowances. 

5.  Endowment  Funds  for  Mission  Institutions. 

Experience  in  all  lands  has  shown  that  educational  institutions  of  higher 


38 


PROPOSED  POREIGX  MISSION  POLICIES 


grades  can  not  maintain  high  standards  without  large  financial  support  over 
and  above  that  received  from  tuition  fees. 

The  Conference  believes  that  the  time  has  certainly  arrived  when  mis¬ 
sion  administrators  should  include  in  the  program  for  mission  colleges  on 
the  foreign  field  the  building  up  of  endowments  to  supplement  the  re¬ 
sources  otherwise  available  and  if  possible  to  release  a  larger  proportion 
of  regular  funds  for  the  immediate  work  of  evangelism. 

Those  responsible  for  colleges  on  the  mission  field  should  use  every 
endeavor  to  secure  the  assistance  of  the  community  the  school  serves, 
interesting  individuals  in  the  project  and  building  up  groups  that  will  help 
to  provide  both  buildings  and  endowments. 

The  Conference  recommends  that  the  Boards  give  consideration  to 
the  wisdom  and  practicability  of  working  out  some  equitable  arrangement 
whereby  the  higher  educational  institutions  on  the  mission  field  may  have 
the  same  measure  of  freedom  of  appeal  to  interested  individuals  that  is 
now  accorded  Baptist  academies,  colleges  and  universities  located  within 
the  territory  of  the  Northern  Baptist  Convention. 

6.  Adequate  Supervision  and  Control  of  Building  Operations. 

The  Conference  recognizes  that  one  of  the  outstanding  problems  of  field 
administration  is  that  of  adequate  supervision  and  control  of  building 
operations. 

It  therefore  recommends  that  the  Boards  and  the  missions  give  care¬ 
ful  attention  to  the  formulation  of  new  rules  and  regulations  governing 
the  expenditure  of  property  appropriations. 

CULTIVATION  OF  THE  HOME  BASE 

I.  Objective 

The  Home  Base  Departments  of  the  American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission 
Society  and  the  Woman’s  American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society  seek 
the  development  of  missionary  interest  among  the  churches  throughout  the 
home  field  and  in  general  execute  the  plans  of  the  two  Boards  for  the 
enlargement  of  resources  in  cooperation  with  the  Board  of  Missionary 
Cooperation. 

II.  Prayer  a  Factor  in  Home  Cultivation 

The  Conference  gratefully  recognizes  the  manifest  blessings  which  God 
has  given  to  the  work  during  recent  years  in  answer  to  prayer.  These 
include  progress  in  the  direction  of  self-support  and  willingness  upon  the 
part  of  the  native  churches  to  assume  responsibility  for  organization  and 
conduct  of  the  work,  great  spiritual  awakenings  and  large  ingatherings 


PROPOSED  FOREIGN  MISSION  POLICIES 


39 


upon  many  fields  and  the  hearty  response  of  the  constituency  at  home 
to  the  Lone  Star  appeal.  In  view  of  these  and  many  other  evidences  of 
God’s  faithfulness  in  answering  prayer  the  Conference  recommends  that 
prayer  be  given  a  larger  place  than  ever  before  in  the  program  of  for¬ 
eign  missions,  both  in  group  organizations  and  by  individuals,  realizing 
the  supreme  importance  of  keeping  warm  and  vital  the  current  of  com¬ 
munication  between  the  great  source  of  power,  Jesus  Christ,  and  the 
individual  soul. 

III.  The  United  Denominational  Program 

The  Conference  is  convinced  that  the  principle  of  cooperation  in  present¬ 
ing  the  needs  of  our  various  denominational  beneficences  to  the  constituency 
is  both  wise  and  right  and  believes  that  the  two  Foreign  Mission  Boards 
should  continue  their  relation  to  the  cooperative  movement. 

The  danger  of  our  cooperative  organization’s  becoming  mechanical  and 
ineffective,  however,  should  be  clearly  recognized  together  with  the  fact 
that  the  presentation  of  a  unified  budget  in  which  details  are  lost  has 
little  power  to  awaken  interest  and  stimulate  generous  giving.  Effort 
should  be  made  to  insure  a  sufficient  measure  of  flexibility  in  the 
machinery  of  promotion  so  that  the  work  and  needs  of  foreign  missions 
may  be  placed  graphically  and  vividly  before  our  people. 

Effort  should  also  be  made  to  preserve  a  proper  balance  in  the  emphasis 
laid  upon  the  various  departments  of  our  denominational  activity.  It 
should  be  recognized  that  the  agencies  laboring  in  the  homeland  are  many, 
those  abroad  but  two;  also  that  the  foreign  mission  work  has  blazed 
the  trail  for  many  of  our  other  activities  and  continues  to  throw  into 
high  relief  the  principles  of  service  and  sacrifice.  A  dwindling  emphasis 
upon  foreign  missions  would  in  all  probability  result  ultimately  in  a  dimin¬ 
ishing  support  of  all  other  denominational  activities. 

IV.  Interpreting  the  Situation  Abroad  to  the  Churches  at  Home 
1.  The  Present  Day  Emphases. 

In  the  presentation  of  the  work  at  home  by  missionaries  on  furlough 
or  by  members  of  the  Board,  whether  in  private  conversation,  public 
addresses  or  the  use  of  the  press,  every  effort  should  be  made  to  bring 
the  denomination  into  sympathetic  understanding  of  the  rapidly  changing 
conditions  on  the  field  which  necessarily  affect  the  conduct  of  the  work. 

The  Conference  therefore  recommends  that  in  foreign  mission  pub¬ 
licity  fresh  emphasis  should  be  given  to  such  points  as  the  following: 

The  establishment  of  international  cooperation;  the  abolition  of  war; 

the  eradication  of  race  prejudice;  the  thorough  application  of  Chris- 


40 


PROPOSED  PORE/CX  MESSlOX  POLICIES 


tianity  to  industrial  relations  the  world  around;  the  protection  of 
weaker  peoples  from  unscrupulous  exploitation  by  economically 
stronger  nations;  the  development  of  an  indigenous  Christianity  free 
to  make  its  own  interpretation  of  Christ  as  the  Divine  Spirit  directs 
its  thought ;  gradual  and  ultimately  complete  devolution  in  mission 
administration ;  and  the  Christianization  of  nominal  Christianity  already 
in  existence  in  the  Western  nations. 

Now  that  native  leaders  are  emerging  with  ability  to  assume  a  verv 
large  measure  of  responsibility  for  the  work  in  their  own  countries,  it 
will  be  necessary  to  lead  the  churches  at  home  to  a  deep  and  grateful 
interest  in  such  leaders  and  their  work  and  to  as  great  a  readiness  to 
help  support  them  as  to  send  out  foreign  missionaries.  It  is  important 
that  the  denomination  be  led  to  understand  that  the  formation  of 
autonomous  Baptist  bodies  in  the  Orient  is  a  most  encouraging  develop¬ 
ment  and  that  it  increases  rather  than  lessens  the  obligation  to  continue 
financial  support  to  such  groups. 

Above  all  else,  it  is  important  that  in  the  new  emphases  in  publicity, 
we  shall  not  fail  to  continue  to  stress  individual  evangelistic  effort  for 
individuals.  It  is  one  thing  to  emphasize  the  glittering  generality  of 
the  elevation  of  the  womanhood  of  India;  it  is  another  thing  to  remember 
that  the  womanhood  of  India  consists  of  individual  mothers  with  the 
same  instinct  that  we  honor  in  the  mothers  of  America.  We  must  indeed 
safeguard  the  childhood  of  the  race  from  economic  exploitation  and 
from  future  war,  but  we  need  also  to  remember  that  we  must  save 
children.  Christ  came  to  save  manhood  but  manhood  consists  of  indi¬ 
vidual  men. 

2.  Impact  of  Missionaries  on  the  Home  Constituency, 
a.  Publicity. 

There  is  need  throughout  the  home  constituency  for  a  more  adequate 
knowledge  of  the  exact  situation  abroad,  promoted  by  publicity  material, 
more  effectively  prepared  and  distributed.  The  Conference  therefore 
recommends ; 

(a)  That  a  wider  use  be  made  of  carefully  prepared  foreign  mis¬ 
sion  publicity  material. 

(b)  That  a  publicity  committee  be  appointed  in  each  mission.  This 
committee  should  promote  the  preparation  of  articles,  pamphlets  and 
stereopticon  lectures  to  be  forwarded  to  the  Home  Base  Departments 
for  publication.  It  is  understood  that  with  all  such  material  th^ 
Home  Base  Departments  shall  have  the  privilege  of  editing,  provided 
the  meaning  of  the  author  is  not  altered. 


PROPOSED  POREIGX  -1//.S\S70A'  POLICIES 


41 


(c)  That,  in  order  to  avoid  duplication  of  effort,  no  publicity 
material  be  published  on  the  field  for  circulation  among  the  home 
constituency  except  annual  reports  of  the  missions,  and  for  missions 
so  desiring,  not  more  than  one  periodical.  In  these  cases,  the  editors 
should  use  the  utmost  care  to  avoid  even  indirect  appeals  for  specific 
gifts.  They  should  also  ascertain  in  advance  of  publication,  if  pos¬ 
sible,  the  number  of  copies  which  can  be  used  effectively  hy  the  Home 
Base  Departments. 

(d)  That  the  missionaries  at  each  station  plan  for  the  sending  of 
a  station  news  letter  to  the  Home  Base  Departments  at  least  as 
frequently  as  every  three  months,  with  the  understanding  that  copies 
of  such  letters  shall  be  sent  to  all  interested  in  the  work  of  that 
station  and  to  such  friends  as  the  missionaries  may  indicate. 

(e)  The  Conference  points  out  that  adequate  foreign  mission  pub¬ 
licity  is  entirely  dependent  upon  the  hearty  cooperation  of  the 
individual  missionary,  the  publicity  committee  of  the  mission,  and 
the  Home  Base  Departments. 

b.  Deputation  work. 

(a)  In  the  interest  of  a  broader  knowledge  of  the  work  abroad  and 
of  a  clearer  understanding  of  its  problems  on  the  part  of  the  home 
constituency,  the  Conference  recommends  a  more  systematic  use  of 
missionaries  on  furlough  in  deputation  work.  This  effort  should  include, 
among  other  measures,  the  following: 

(1)  The  planning  of  deputation  work  in  such  a  way  that  each 
section  of  the  home  field  may  receive  its  adequate  and  proportionate 
share  of  deputation  work.  To  this  end  definite  plans  should  be 
initiated  by  the  Home  Base  Departments  and  the  Board  of  Mis¬ 
sionary  Cooperation  in  place  of  the  present  policy  which  consists 
largely  of  acceptance  of  invitations  from  the  churches. 

(2)  An  endeavor  to  reach  the  smaller  churches  to  a  much  greater 
extent  than  at  present. 

(3)  Week-end  conferences  in  carefully  selected  centers  under  the 
leadership  of  a  missionary  deputation  team. 

(4)  Full  cooperation  with  the  Department  of  Missionary  Educa¬ 
tion  in  summer  assemblies  and  missionary  education  conferences. 

(b)  The  Conference  offers  the  following  suggestions  with  a  view 
to  the  better  preparation  of  missionaries  engaged  in  deputation  work: 

(1)  Unless  there  is  some  constitutional  disability  or  an  absolute 
lack  of  ability  for  such  work,  which  would  make  it  unwise  or  impos- 


42 


PROPOSED  POREICX  MLSSIOX  POLICIES 


sible  to  attempt  it,  missionaries  while  on  furlough  ought  to  give  as 
large  an  amount  of  time  to  deputation  work  as  is  consistent  with  the 
requirements  of  health,  study,  etc. 

(2)  Inexperienced  missionaries  might  be  sent  out  into  deputation 
work  with  experienced  missionaries  in  order  that  the  experience  of 
the  latter  might  be  of  service  to  the  inexperience  of  the  former 
in  the  actual  field  tryout. 

(3)  A  central  training  conference  or  sectional  training  con¬ 
ferences,  preferably  the  latter,  should  be  arranged  by  the  Home  Base 
Departments,  at  which  Board  secretaries,  state  officers.  Board  mem¬ 
bers,  experienced  pastors  and  sympathetic  laymen  could  make  their 
accumulated  experience  available  for  deputation  workers  attending 
such  conferences. 

(4)  The  Conference  would  also  reaffirm  the  finding  of  the  New¬ 
ton  Center  Conference  that  the  Home  Base  Departments  should  pre¬ 
pare  a  manual  for  deputation  workers. 

V.  Vitalizing  the  Work 

1.  Visualization  of  the  Budget. 

The  Conference  believes  that  any  marked  increase  in  missionary  giv¬ 
ing  depends  largely  upon  closer  and  more  vital  relationship  between 

the  churches  at  home  and  the  mission  fields  and  workers,  and  therefore 
recommends  that  the  missionaries  cooperate  more  fully  with  the  Home 
Base  Departments  by  furnishing  material  descriptive  of  definite  items 
or  phases  of  the  work,  human  interest  stories,  and  incidents  of  difficulties 
and  obstacles  encountered  in  the  work,  in  order  that  the  Home  Base 
Departments  may  make  a  vital  presentation  of  the  work  to  the  home 
constituency. 

2.  Designated  Gifts. 

a.  The  following  statement  concerning  the  relation  of  designated  gifts 
to  the  unified  denominational  budget  is  given  to  clarify  the  meaning  of 
designated  gifts : 

Designated  contributions  shall  be  understood  to  mean  all  contributions  desig¬ 
nated  for  any  participating  organization  (in  the  Northern  Baptist  Convention) 
and  applicable  to  the  support  of  its  regular  operating  budget. 

b.  The  Conference  recommends,  in  view  of  this  understanding,  the 
continuance  of  the  present  plan  of  applying  all  regular  designated  gifts 
for  mission  work  to  the  work  appropriation  of  the  missionary  or  station 


PROPOSED  FOREIGN  MISSION  POLICIES 


43 


to  which  they  are  designated  and  of  notifying  the  missionary  concerned 
of  the  receipt  of  such  gifts. 

c.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  confidence  of  donors  has  sometimes 
been  seriously  impaired  by  correspondence  of  missionaries  direct  with 
them  concerning  mistakes  in  the  application  of  designated  gifts,  the  Con¬ 
ference  recommends  that  in  such  cases  correspondence  be  directed  to  the 
department  making  notification  of  the  gift,  with  a  complete  statement  of 
facts  and  that  sufficient  time  be  given  for  full  investigation  and  for 
readjustment. 

3.  Specific  Gifts. 

a.  The  Conference  recognizes  the  distress  which  the  individual  mis¬ 
sionary  on  any  field  must  often  suffer  for  lack  of  sufficient  means  to 
meet  compelling  needs  or  to  enter  attractive  avenues  of  service  and  the 
temptation  to  approach  the  constituency  for  funds  for  special  purposes 
outside  the  limits  of  the  regular  budget.  Attention  is  called,  however, 
to  the  following  important  principles  governing  the  subject  of  specifics: 

(a)  The  needs  on  every  one  of  the  fields  are  practically  boundless. 

(b)  The  resources  for  meeting  these  needs  are  strictly  limited. 

(c)  Tasks  of  primary  importance  should  as  far  as  possible  be  in¬ 
cluded  in  the  regular  budget. 

(d)  The  number  of  enterprises  requiring  the  raising  of  specific 
funds  outside  the  budget  should  be  reduced  to  a  minimum. 

(e)  In  the  relatively  small  number  of  cases  in  which  the  need 
is  so  urgent  as  to  justify  the  efforts  to  secure  specific  funds  outside 
the  budget,  the  missionary  should  refrain  from  making  any  appeal  to 
the  constituency  until  after  the  project  has  been  approved  by  the  field 
organization  and  the  Boards.  The  appeal  should  then  be  made 
in  accordance  with  plans  made  by  and  in  close  cooperation  with  the 
Home  Base  Departments.  It  is  of  course  understood  that  action  of 
the  reference  committee  alone  is  not  sufficient  authorization  for  seek¬ 
ing  specific  gifts. 

b.  Since  in  some  fields  there  has  grown  up  through  the  years  the 
practice  of  caring  for  a  considerable  proportion  of  the  work  through 
specifics,  the  Conference  recommends : 

(a)  That  all  gifts  for  the  work,  whether  received  by  the  missionary 
direct  or  through  the  regular  channels,  should  be  at  once  reported  to 
the  reference  committee  and  the  Boards  and,  in  case  the  proposed 
expenditure  is  deemed  unwise,  the  specific  should  be  held  pending  cor- 


44 


PROPOSED  POREIGX  MISSIOX  POLICIES 


respondence  with  the  donor  and  the  Board  concerned.  All  specific  gifts, 
whether  received  direct  or  through  the  Boards,  should  be  accounted 
for  in  the  same  manner  as  regular  appropriations. 

(b)  That  an  inquiry  be  made  by  the  reference  committee  upon 
each  field  to  ascertain  whether  a  lack  of  balance  has  been  brought 
about  through  the  receipt  of  a  large  amount  in  specific  gifts. 

(c)  That  if  this  inquiry  reveals  the  fact  that  any  station  or  indi¬ 
vidual  profits  to  an  unusual  extent  by  specific  gifts  the  reference  com¬ 
mittee  make  allowance  for  income  thus  received  in  apportioning  the 
funds  received  through  appropriations  in  gross. 

(d)  That  missionaries  endeavor  to  induce  donors  to  allow  gifts 
offered  as  specifics  to  apply  on  the  regular  budget. 

VI.  Miscellaneous 

1.  Student  Groups. 

The  Conference  places  itself  on  record  as  being  greatly  interested  in 
the  efforts  of  student  groups  in  this  country  to  achieve  a  more  adequate 
understanding  and  appreciation  of  the  Christian  church  and  its  activities. 
It  is  hoped  that  the  energy  and  enthusiasm  of  the  youth  of  all  lands 
may  find  within  the  church  a  channel  of  expression  that  shall  call  forth 
every  element  of  its  courage  and  vision  to  deal  with  the  complex  problems 
of  the  present  day.  Every  effort  should  be  made  to  cooperate  with  these 
groups  in  all  lands  to  help  them  not  only  to  find  their  place  in,  but  also 
to  make  their  contribution  to,  the  kingdom  enterprise. 

2.  Manual  for  Missionaries. 

The  Conference  recommends,  in  order  that  the  relations  of  the  mis¬ 
sionary  to  the  Boards  may  be  clear  to  all,  that  a  complete  manual  for 
missionaries  be  prepared.  This  should  include  not  only  matters  pertain¬ 
ing  to  the  missionary’s  contacts  with  the  home  constituency  but  also 
all  phases  of  his  activity.  Plans  should  be  made  for  revision  at  frequent 
intervals,  either  by  means  of  the  publication  of  new  manuals  or  the 
bringing  up  to  date  of  a  loose-leaf  manual. 


OUR  SPIRITUAL  RESOURCES 

1.  The  Conference  renders  thanks  to  our  Heavenly  Father  for  the  rich 
spiritual  feasts  we  have  enjoyed  during  the  devotional  periods  of  the  Con¬ 
ference  and  the  spiritual  help  for  our  tasks  that  this  fellowship  with  our 
Master  and  each  other  has  brought  and  the  fresh  vision  we  have  had  of  our 
abounding  spiritual  resources  in  God,  our  Father. 


PROPOSED  FOREIGX  MISSIOX  POLICIES 


45 


2.  The  Conference  firmly  believes  that  our  great  and  supreme  task  is  to 
preach  salvation  through  Jesus  Christ  and  that  only  as  He  is  exalted  in  word 
and  deed  both  in  individual  and  church  life  will  our  work  succeed. 

The  Conference  heartily  rejoices  in  the  present  emphasis  on  evangelism  at 
home,  believing  that  this  will  prove  a  great  stimulus  both  to  missionaries 
and  to  the  Christian  churches  on  our  mission  fields,  leading  them  to  dedicate 
themselves  anew  with  greater  zeal  to  the  service  of  the  Master. 

3.  In  view  of  the  evidences  of  wealth  on  every  side  and  remembering 
the  power  and  purpose  of  Christ  to  transform  our  selfish  ideals,  the  Confer¬ 
ence  wishes  strongly  to  emphasize : 

a.  That  the  missionary  appeal  for  self-denial  both  in  life  and  gifts 
at  home  and  abroad  will  ever  point  the  way  along  which  lies  the  great 
hope  of  the  church.  For  the  sake  of  the  nation  and  church  at  home, 
as  well  as  of  our  missionary  work,  this  fact  must  never  be  forgotten. 

b.  That  in  view  of  the  present  emphasis  on  stewardship  of  life  and 
money  in  the  churches  at  home  we  take  great  courage,  having  confidence 
that  the  Christians  of  America  will  more  and  more  realize  their  responsi¬ 
bility  for  giving  the  gospel  to  all  the  world. 

c.  That  the  Conference  regards  it  as  most  significant  in  the  leading  of 
Providence  that  just  at  the  time  when  the  American  people  are  entrusted 
with  wealth  such  as  never  before  has  been  known,  the  hearts  of  non- 
Christian  peoples  are  ready  in  an  unprecedented  degree  to  receive  the  gos¬ 
pel  of  Jesus  Christ. 

4.  The  Conference  recognizes  the  sympathetic  world  outlook  and  many 
other  encouraging  elements  in  the  youth  movement  of  today  and  calls  upon 
the  churches  in  every  way  to  seek  a  sympathetic  insight  and  understanding  of 
it  lest,  leaving  them  unaided,  we  fail  to  secure  for  Christ’s  kingdom  in  all 
lands  the  fine  enthusiasm  and  aspiration  present  in  our  best  young  people 
today. 

5.  The  Conference  deeply  feels  in  our  great  task  the  need  for  mobilizing 
all  resources  of  power  and  earnestly  calls  upon  all  Christians  both  at  home 
and  on  the  foreign  field  so  to  live  as  to  bring  to  our  aid  the  promised  power 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  the  results  of  persistent  prevailing  prayer. 


SUMMARY  OF  CONFERENCE  PROCEEDINGS 

Preparation  for  the  Conference  began  early  in  1924  when  notices  were  sent 
to  the  various  missions  asking  them  to  appoint  representatives  to  a  confer¬ 
ence.  In  the  meantime  a  preliminary  announcement  was  prepared  and  sent, 
in  December,  1924,  to  all  missionaries  of  the  two  Societies.  This  announce¬ 
ment  outlined  the  object  of  calling  a  conference  and  gave  the  topics  which 
it  was  proposed  to  discuss.  Each  mission  was  asked  to  appoint  a  special 
committee  to  study  the  questions  raised  and  prepare  as  full  a  statement  as 
possible,  which  would  represent  the  views  of  the  mission  on  these  important 
topics. 

Early  in  i\Iarch,  1925  such  of  the  appointed  delegates  as  could  be  con¬ 
veniently  brought  together  met  with  the  executive  officers  for  a  brief 
preliminary  conference  in  New  York  City  with  the  result  that  an  agenda 
committee  was  appointed  with  W.  E.  Wiatt  as  chairman  and  R.  L.  Howard 
as  secretary.  This  group  also  divided  the  topics  for  discussion  along 
somewhat  different  lines  from  those  given  in  the  preliminary  announce¬ 
ment  and  assigned  the  various  subjects  to  committees  as  follows: 

1.  The  Churches  on  the  Mission  Field ;  A.  F.  Groesbeck,  Chairman, 

2.  Leadership ;  D.  C.  Holtom,  Chairman. 

3.  The  Place  of  Women  in  the  Churches  on  the  Mission  Field;  Miss 
E.  J.  Peterson,  Chairman. 

4.  Christian  Schools  on  the  Mission  Field;  H.  I.  Frost,  Chairman. 

5.  Medical  Work  on  the  Mission  Field;  A.  H.  Henderson,  Chairman. 

6.  Financial  Problems;  C.  B.  Tenny,  Chairman. 

7.  The  Home  Base;  F.  W.  Harding,  Chairman. 

8.  Administrative  Problems ;  W.  E.  Wiatt,  Chairman. 

9.  Devotional  Committee;  H.  J.  Openshaw,  Chairman. 

10.  The  Place  and  Work  of  the  Foreign  Missionary  in  the  Light  of 
Changed  Conditions;  A.  J.  Tuttle,  Chairman. 

Each  of  these  committees  was  asked  to  prepare  a  report,  not  in  the 
form  of  definite  conclusions,  but  as  a  survey  of  the  field  under  discus¬ 
sion,  which  would  give  a  background  for  the  deliberations  of  the  Con¬ 
ference. 

These  committees  did  a  great  deal  of  serious  work  during  the  summer 
months  and  presented  extensive  reports  which  gave  most  important  mate¬ 
rial  on  which  the  findings  were  based. 

Personnel 

The  basis  of  representation  was  the  same  as  that  adopted  for  the  second 
Newton  Center  Conference.  Each  mission  was  entitled  to  one  delegate 
for  every  ten  men  (or  major  fraction  of  ten)  in  regular  active  service. 


46 


PROPOSED  FOREIGN  MISSION  POLICIES 


47 


with  five  representatives  as  a  maximum  from  any  mission.  Each  mission 
was  entitled  to  one  single  woman  delegate  (with  one  additional  single 
woman  delegate  from  Burma  and  South  India)  to  be  nominated  by  the 
woman’s  committee  to  the  mission  conference  for  election,  in  those  mis¬ 
sions  where  such  a  committee  exists,  otherwise  by  a  special  committee 
of  women  appointed  for  this  purpose. 

In  line  with  this  basis  of  representation  each  mission  appointed  its  rep¬ 
resentatives  as  follows : 

Burma:  W.  E.  Wiatt,  A.  H.  Henderson,  A.  J.  Weeks,  L.  W.  Hattersley, 
C.  L.  Conrad,  Miss  Mary  E.  Phillips,  Miss  Marion  A.  Beebe. 

Assam:  A.  J.  Tuttle,  H.  O.  Wyatt,  F.  W.  Harding,  Miss  Charlotte  A. 
Wright. 

South  India:  C.  R.  Marsh,  J.  A.  Curtis,  L.  C.  Smith  (unable  to  attend), 
Miss  Jennie  L.  Reilly,  Miss  Olive  E.  Jones,  Mrs.  C.  R.  Marsh  (co-opted). 

Bengal-Orissa :  H.  R.  Murphy,  H.  I.  Frost,  J.  H.  Oxrieder. 

South  China:  A.  F.  Groesbeck,  G.  E.  Whitman,  B.  L.  Baker  (co-opted). 
Miss  Melvina  Sollman. 

East  China:  P.  R.  Bakeman,  J.  T.  Proctor,  Miss  Ethel  L.  Lacey  (co¬ 
opted),  Miss  Ellen  J.  Peterson. 

West  China :  H.  J.  Openshaw,  J.  C.  Humphreys,  Miss  Minnie  M. 
Argetsinger. 

Japan:  D.  C.  Holtom,  C.  B.  Tenny,  Miss  Mary  D.  Jesse. 

Belgian  Congo :  W.  H.  Leslie,  Mrs.  W.  H.  Leslie,  Henry  Erickson 
(unable  to  attend). 

Philippine  Islands :  H.  F.  Stuart,  Miss  Selma  J.  Lagergren. 

A  number  of  other  missionaries  attended  some  of  the  sessions  as  visitors. 

In  addition,  the  Boards  of  Managers  and  the  executive  staffs  of  the 
two  Societies  were  represented  as  follows : 

From  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission 
Society:  F.  L.  Anderson,  H.  B.  Robins,  W.  A.  Jameson. 

From  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Woman’s  American  Baptist  For¬ 
eign  Mission  Society:  Mrs.  H.  E.  Goodman,  Mrs.  H.  W.  Smith,  Mrs.  N.  R. 
Wood,  Mrs.  Cornelius  Woelfkin,  Mrs.  G.  W.  Doane,  Mrs.  George  W.  Taft. 

From  the  staff  of  the  American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society:  J.  H. 
Franklin,  J.  C.  Robbins,  P.  H.  J.  Lerrigo,  G.  B.  Huntington,  R.  L.  Howard, 
H.  F.  Cawthorne,  P.  E.  Alden,  Forrest  Smith,  R.  D.  Stafford. 

From  the  staff  of  the  Woman’s  American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission 
Society:  Miss  Mabelle  R.  McVeigh,  Miss  Alice  M.  Hudson,  Mrs.  L.  J.  P. 
Bishop,  Miss  J.  W.  Dayton. 

Conduct  of  Business 

The  Conference  convened  at  the  Madison  Avenue  Baptist  Church,  New 
York  City,  on  the  morning  of  November  18,  1925,  with  Mrs.  L.  J.  P. 


48 


PROPOSED  FOREIGX  MISSION  POLICIES 


Bishop  in  the  chair.  Other  presiding-  officers  during  the  Conference  were 
Dr.  Franklin,  Mrs.  Goodman,  Dr.  Lerrigo,  Miss  McVeigh,  Dr.  Hunting 
ton,  Mrs.  N.  R.  Wood,  Mrs.  C.  D.  Eulette,  Mrs.  H.  W.  Smith,  and  Dr. 
Robbins. 

In  order  to  give  a  greater  continuity  in  the  conduct  of  business  when 
the  important  matters  of  the  findings  were  being  considered,  the  business 
committee  asked  Dr.  Robbins  to  preside  during  the  last  half  of  the 
Conference. 

Rev.  L.  W.  Hattersley  and  Aliss  Ethel  L.  Lacey  were  asked  to  act  as 
secretaries  of  the  Conference,  Miss  Olive  E.  Jones  taking  Miss  Lacey’s 
place  during  the  latter  part  of  the  Conference. 

A  business  committee  was  also  appointed  consisting  of  C.  B.  Tenny, 
chairman.  Miss  Mabelle  R.  McVeigh,  A.  F.  Groesbeck,  H.  F.  Stuart,  Miss 
Melvina  Sollman,  J.  C.  Robbins,  P.  E.  Alden,  and  R.  L.  Howard,  secre¬ 
tary;  their  duty  being  to  provide  for  any  changes  in  the  tentative  program 
and  for  the  general  guidance  and  conduct  of  business. 

On  the  recommendation  of  the  agenda  committee,  the  following  find¬ 
ings  committees  were  appointed,  with  the  proviso  that  the  delegates  from 
the  Boards  and  the  executive  officers  be  ex  officio  members  of  all  these 
committees : 

Findings  Committee  “A”  to  consider  the  topics  assigned  to  the  com¬ 
mittees  on  The  Churches  on  the  Mission  Field,  Leadership,  The  Place  of 
Women  in  the  Churches  on  the  Mission  Field,  and  The  Place  and  Work 
of  the  Foreign  Missionary  in  the  Light  of  Changed  Conditions :  D.  C. 
Holtom,  A.  F.  Groesbeck,  Miss  Melvina  Sollman,  A.  J.  Tuttle,  C.  L. 
Conrad,  A.  J.  Weeks,  J.  H.  Oxrieder,  J.  A.  Curtis,  Miss  Selma  G.  Lager- 
gren,  H.  J.  Openshaw,  P..R.  Bakeman,  W.  H.  Leslie,  Miss  Mary  E.  Phillips. 

Findings  Committee  “B”  to  consider  the  topics  assigned  to  the  com¬ 
mittees  on  Christian  Schools  on  the  Mission  Field,  Medical  Work  on  the 
Mission  Field,  and  the  Devotional  Committee:  H.  1.  Frost,  B.  L.  Baker, 
L.  W.  Hattersley,  J.  C.  Humphreys,  Miss  Ellen  J.  Peterson,  A.  H.  Hen¬ 
derson,  Miss  Charlotte  A.  Wright,  H.  O.  Wyatt,  Miss  Jennie  L.  Reilly, 
H.  F.  Stuart,  Mrs.  W.  H.  Leslie,  Miss  Olive  E.  Jones,  Miss  Marion  A. 
Beebe. 

Findings  Committee  “C”  to  consider  topics  assigned  to  the  committees 
on  Financial  Problems,  The  Home  Base,  and  Administ’^ative  Problems: 
C.  B.  Tenny,  C.  R.  Marsh,  Miss  Minnie  M.  Argetsinger,  J.  T.  Proctor, 
Miss  Ethel  L.  Lacey,  G.  E.  Whitman,  W.  E.  Wiatt,  H.  R.  Murphy,  F.  W. 
Harding. 

Part  of  the  first  day  of  the  Conference  was  taken  up  in  a  review  of 
the  present  world  situation.  Miss  McVeigh  speaking  for  the  Woman’s  So¬ 
ciety,  Dr.  Robbins,  Dr.  Franklin  and  Dr.  Lerrigo  for  the  General  Society 
from  the  point  of  view  of  India,  the  Far  East  and  Africa,  respectively; 


PROPOSED  FOREIGN  MISSION  POLICIES 


49 


Mr.  I'rost  lor  Bengal-Orissa ;  Miss  Reilly,  South  India;  Mr.  Stuart,  the 
Philippine  Islands;  Mr.  Proctor,  East  China;  Mr.  Baker,  South  China; 
Miss  Argetsinger,  West  China;  Dr.  Leslie,  Belgian  Congo;  Mr.  Wiatt, 
Burma;  Mr.  Tuttle,  Assam;  Mr.  Tenny,  Japan. 

After  this  general  survey,  the  business  of  the  Conference  was  con¬ 
ducted  in  the  main  as  follows :  the  chairman  of  each  committee  gave  a 
brief  resume  of  the  work  of  his  committee,  answered  questions  and  led 
discussions  on  the  main  points  concerned.  After  this  preliminary  survey 
the  reports  were  referred  to  the  findings  committees  for  the  purpose  of 
drawing  up  definite  resolutions  to  be  presented  to  the  Conference  as  a  whole. 

All  the  evenings  except  the  first  two,  as  well  as  many  odd  times  between 
sessions,  were  given  to  the  deliberations  of  the  findings  committees, 
either  as  a  whole  or  in  the  sub-committees  into  which  they  divided  them¬ 
selves.  These  committees  began  presenting  findings  on  November  27,  and 
the  consideration  of  such  findings  occupied  the  two  daytime  sessions  of 
the  Conference  until  its  end  on  December  2. 

Marked  differences  of  personal  judgment  and  of  practice  on  the  part 
of  the  missions  appeared,  as  was  to  be  expected  in  view  of  the  widely 
varied  conditions  on  the  mission  fields  represented.  Yet  there  was  a 
strong  feeling  of  brotherhood  and  fellowship  in  a  common  task  even 
over  the  most  keenly  disputed  questions,  and  the  very  bringing  together 
of  these  differing  points  of  view  constituted  one  of  the  most  valuable 
features  of  the  Conference. 

From  the  foregoing  resume  of  the  method  of  conducting  the  Con¬ 
ference  business  it  will  be  seen  that  a  great  deal  of  earnest  thought  and 
serious  consideration  was  given  to  every  one  of  the  findings  adopted. 
They  were  thoroughly  discussed  by  the  Conference  as  a  whole  and  were 
voted  upon  paragraph  by  paragraph  with  frequent  amendments.  When 
any  marked  differences  of  opinion  occurred,  the  findings  were  recommitted 
for  restatement  in  such  form  as  could  command  practically  the  unanimous 
consent  of  the  Conference.  Not  once  during  the  Conference  did  a  dele¬ 
gate  ask  to  be  registered  as  opposing  the  statement  accepted  by  the  Con¬ 
ference  as  a  whole.  The  findings,  therefore,  may  be  taken  as  representing 
practically  the  unanimous  judgment  of  the  Conference.  It  must  be  held 
in  mind,  however,  that  they  are  findings  and  require  further  action  before 
they  become  operative. 

An  editing  committee  consisting  of  W.  E.  Wiatt,  Miss  Mabelle  R. 
McVeigh,  G.  B.  Huntington,  Miss  Olive  E.  Jones  and  B.  L.  Baker  was 
appointed. 

The  Conference  put  on  record  its  special  gratitude  to  the  Madison 
Avenue  Baptist  Church  for  the  use  of  the  lOom  and  for  many  other 
courtesies,  to  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Curtis  Lee  Laws  for  graciously  entertaining 
the  entire  Conference  at  luncheon  at  the  Hotel  Le  Marquis,  to  Dr.  and 


50 


PROPOSED  FOREIGN  MISSION  POLICIES 


Mrs.  Cornelius  Woelfkin,  who  most  hospitably  entertained  a  group  of  the 
delegates  for  Thanksgiving  dinner  at  the  International  House,  to  Dr. 
J.  C.  Robbins  who  bore  the  heavy  burden  of  presiding  over  the  Conference, 
and  to  R.  L.  Howard,  the  secretary  of  the  Agenda  Committee. 

Devotional  Services 

The  preliminary  announcement  of  the  Conference  included  a  Call  to 
Prayer  and  stated  as  one  of  the  topics  to  be  considered  Our  Abounding 
Spiritual  Resources.  It  was  deeply  felt  that  with  the  problems  which  the 
Societies  now  face  solutions  could  only  be  found,  and  those  solutions  put 
into  practice,  if  the  Master  “walked  and  talked”  with  each  and  every  one 
present. 

It  was  the  rare  privilege  of  the  Conference  to  have  outstanding  men 
and  women  lead  the  devotional  services  with  which  each  day’s  sessions 
began.  The  leaders  of  these  services  were  Dr.  George  Caleb  Moor,  Dr. 

G.  Arvid  Hagstrom,  Rev.  A.  C.  Thomas,  Dr.  A.  Ray  Petty,  Dr.  Howard 

« 

B.  Grose,  Dr.  Cornelius  Woelfkin,  Mrs.  George  Caleb  Moor,  Mrs.  H.  E. 
Goodman,  Dr.  J.  H.  Franklin  and  Dr.  J.  C.  Robbins. 

Sunday,  November  29,  was  set  apart  as  a  day  for  meditation,  prayer 
and  reconsecration.  The  Conference  joined  the  Madison  venue  Baptist 
Church  in  its  morning  service  of  worship.  In  the  afternoon  and  evening 
Dr.  E.  W.  Hunt  led  in  two  memorable  services. 

It  was  the  feeling  of  all  present  that  the  Spirit  of  God  did  guide  in 
the  conduct  of  the  sessions,  and  it  was  the  earnest  prayer  that  through 
His  Spirit  every  missionary  and  every  member  of  the  executive  staff 
should  have  renewed  vision  and  power  for  the  work  of  His  kingdom. 


TENTATIVE  STATEMENT  OF  POLICY  OF  THE 
AMERICAN  BAPTIST  FOREIGN 
MISSION  SOCIETY 

The  following  suggested  modification  of  the  Statement  of  Policy  of  the 
American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society  as  adopted  September  12,  1912, 
was  adopted  by  the  Board  on  April  10,  1923,  with  the  understanding  that 
it  be  sent  to  the  several  missions  for  approval  or  for  suggestions  as  to 
modification. 

The  American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society  holds : 

That  in  the  process  of  realizing  its  objective,  defined  in  the  charter  of 
the  Society  as  “diffusing  the  knowledge  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ 
by  means  of  missions  throughout  the  world,”  it  shall  be  guided  by  the 
following  policy : 

1.  That  intensive  development  of  the  v/ork  in  sections  already  occupiea 
is  for  the  immediate  future  a  more  imperative  duty  than  entering  upon 
new  fields.  Many  of  the  stations  of  the  Society  are  inadequately  supplied 
with  workers  and  equipment,  with  the  result  that  the  field  cannot  yield 
returns  in  proportion  to  the  effort  expended.  The  Society  should  strictly 
limit  its  responsibilities  and  work  to  that  for  which  reasonably  adequate 
provision  can  be  made,  even  to  the  extent  of  making  serious  readjustments 
in  work  already  undertaken.  The  entrance  upon  new  fields  or  even  the 
assumption  of  new  obligations  within  a  given  mission,  if  demanded  by  the 
clear  indications  of  Divine  Providence,  will  demand  definite  increase  of 
resources  or  readjustments  in  existing  work,  leading  to  cancellation  of 
some  features. 

2.  That  effort  should  be  directed  to  the  establishment,  within  strategic 
areas,  of  strong  Christian  communities  which  shall  be  permanent  forces 
of  evangelization  and  education  and  which  will  gradually  assume  full 
responsibility  for  the  extension  of  the  kingdom  in  their  own  lands. 
Preaching  of  the  gospel  by  foreign  missionaries  must  continue,  but 
should  in  each  region  give  place  as  soon  as  practicable  to  evangelization 
and  education  by  the  native  bodies  in  selecting,  training,  placing  and 
inspiring  native  workers. 

3.  That  education,  especially  of  the  Christian  youth  and  the  children 
of  Christian  parents,  is  a  matter  of  pressing  importance.  Only  by  Chris¬ 
tian  education  can  the  Christian  community  become  and  remain  a  potent 
force  in  the  life  of  the  people,  or  leaders  be  provided  to  carry  forward  the 
work  of  evangelization  and  the  building  up  of  the  Christian  community. 

4.  That  wherever  it  is  practicable  there  should  be  cooperation  with 
other  Christian  bodies  working  in  the  same  fields.  Such  cooperation  is 
of  special  importance  in  the  department  of  higher  education,  where  stu¬ 
dents  are  relatively  few  and  education  expensive. 


51 


52 


PROPOSED  FOREIGX  MISSION  POLICIES 


That  in  meeting  problems  of  international  significance  such  as  the  rela¬ 
tions  of  missions  to  governments  and  kindred  questions,  there  should  be 
cooperation  between  duly  appointed  representatives  of  recognized  mis¬ 
sionary  organizations  and  native  Christian  agencies  in  various  countries. 
All  interdenominational  and  international  cooperation  is  to  be  on  such  a 
basis  as  will  not  compromise  our  denominational  principles  nor  affect  the 
autonomy  of  the  Society  or  of  the  native  churches. 

5.  That  the  increasing  readiness  of  the  churches  on  the  mission  field 
and  of  their  own  representative  bodies  to  assume  full  responsibility  for  the 
support  and  conduct  of  the  Christian  work  in  their  own  lands  should  be 
encouraged. 

That  the  aspirations  of  these  churches  for  self-expression  and  complete 
autonomy  should  be  recognized  as  indicative  of  growth  and  in  harmony 
with  New  Testament  teaching  and  Baptist  principles. 

That  pending  the  assumption  of  full  responsibility  by  the  churches, 
there  should  be  formed  as  rapidly  as  possible  administrative  bodies  com¬ 
posed  of  representatives  both  of  these  churches  and  of  the  mission. 

That  the  general  conventions  of  the  churches  on  the  mission  fields  should 
have  an  increasingly  intimate  and  fraternal  relation  with  the  American 
Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society. 

6.  Permanent  funds  should  be  secured  on  proper  conditions  the  income 
of  which  should  be  allocated  by  the  Board  for  the  partial  support  of  edu¬ 
cational  institutions  which  are  being  developed  in  connection  with  the 
several  missions.  Contributions  should  also  be  sought  from  local  donors 
on  the  mission  fields  toward  the  support,  the  equipment  and  the  endow¬ 
ment  of  specific  institutions. 

7.  We  recommend  that  the  missions  study  the  problem  of  raising  the 
standard  in  the  Christian  ministry  so  as  to  attract  to  that  service  men 
more  thoroughly  trained  and  that  with  this  end  in  view  they  should  con¬ 
sider  the  provision  of  adequate  salaries  in  the  ministry  as  compared  with 
the  teaching  profession,  aiming  to  secure  local  support. 

While  in  special  cases  it  may  be  necessary  that  native  leaders  should  be 
supported  directly  by  funds  from  the  mission  treasury,  it  should  be  recog¬ 
nized  that  such  an  arrangement  is  but  temporary,  and  that  as  early  as 
practicable  provision  should  be  made  whereby  such  leaders  will  receive 
their  support  from  or  through  native  Christian  organizations. 

8.  That  although  the  Society  does  not  send  foreign  missionaries  to 
Europe,  it  should  temporarily  give  limited  financial  assistance  and  counsel 
to  groups  of  Baptists  which  have  sprung  up  in  European  countries,  who 
are  contending  for  the  historic  principles  of  our  denomination. 


A  STATEMENT  OF  THE  POLICY  OF  THE 
WOMAN’S  AMERICAN  BAPTIST  FOR¬ 
EIGN  MISSION  SOCIETY 

I.  The  Purpose 

The  purpose  of  the  work  of  the  Woman’s  American  Baptist  Foreign 
Mission  Society  in  mission  fields  as  expressed  in  its  by-laws  is  “the  eleva¬ 
tion  and  Christianization  of  women  and  children  in  foreign  lands.” 

The  method  of  accomplishing  this  purpose  was  outlined  in  the  by-laws 
and  has  been  consistently  followed,  namely,  “by  sending  out  and  supporting 
women  missionaries  to  do  evangelistic,  educational  and  medical  work  on 
the  foreign  fields;  in  developing  and  employing  native  Christian  teachers 
and  Bible  women,  physicians  and  nurses,  and  in  erecting  such  buildings 
as  may  be  deemed  necessary  for  the  prosecution  of  the  work.” 

II.  Evangelism 

The  primary  object  of  the  Society  being  the  elevation  and  Christianiza¬ 
tion  of  women  and  children  in  foreign  lands,  its  devolves  upon  its  repre¬ 
sentatives  so  to  present  the  appeal  of  the  Gospel  as  to  lead  to  the  acceptance 
of  Jesus  Christ  as  Saviour  and  Lord.  This  has  been  and  is  being  accom¬ 
plished  not  only  through  the  lives  and  teaching  of  missionaries,  but  by  the 
Bible  women  whom  they  have  trained,  and  the  women  and  girls  who, 
having  set  out  on  the  Christian  life,  have  been  the  means  of  winning 
others  to  the  same  faith  in  Christ.  Evangelism  through  industry  has 
also  been  a  principle  in  various  stations,  where  by  means  of  handcraft 
and  various  industrial  lines  poverty  has  been  relieved  and  a  contact  has 
been  established  for  the  teaching  of  the  Gospel. 

III.  Education 

Realizing  that  women  cannot  in  most  instances  adequately  teach  the 
Gospel,  improve  their  surroundings  or  train  their  children  unless  they 
receive  Christian  education,  the  Society  has  provided  and  maintains  kinder¬ 
gartens,  elementary  schools,  high  and  normal  schools,  colleges,  Bible  and 
nurses’  training  schools,  thus  seeking  to  make  it  possible  for  the  Christian 
women  of  the  Orient  to  have  every  adequate  opportunity  for  training  and 
service. 

IV.  Medical  Work 

The  relief  of  suffering  is  preeminently  a  task  for  Christian  women, 
aticl  the  ministry  of  healing  occupies  an  important  place  on  the  program 
of  work  for  women  and  children  of  the  Orient. 

The  hospital  is  a  great  evangelizing  force  in  the  lands  where  women 
have  not  received  proper  medical  care  in  the  past.  The  medical  missionary, 
whether  doctor  or  nurse,  finds  doors  opened  to  her  and  opportunities  for 
evangelistic  work  offered  which  would  not  be  to  any  other.  The  training 
of  native  doctors  and  nurses  is  an  important  factor  in  medical  missions. 


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PROPOSliL)  PORPIGX  MISSlOX  POLICIES 


V.  Intensive  Policy 

It  is  the  policy  of  the  Woman’s  American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission 
Society  to  strengthen  its  work  at  points  where  both  the  need  and  the 
response  to  the  Gospel  have  proved  to  be  greatest  and  to  make  such  ad¬ 
justments  and  curtailments  as  may  be  necessary  in  order  to  care  for  the 
work  adequately  at  the  strategic  centres.  It  is  deemed  wiser  to  do  this 
rather  than  to  establish  new  work,  especially  at  times  of  financial  stringency. 
We  realize,  however,  that  the  meeting  of  new  opportunities,  particularly 
when  special  provision  is  made  for  them,  may  be  indicative  of  the  definite 
leading  of  God  so  often  proved  in  the  planning  of  our  work. 

VI.  Native  Leadership 

The  prime  necessity  of  all  the  work  of  the  Society  in  foreign  fields  is  to 
develop  native  Christian  workers  to  such  standards  of  efficiency  and  such 
strength  of  faith  and  knowledge  of  the  Gospel  that  they  shall  be  responsible 
for  evangelizing  and  educating  their  own  people.  In  view  of  the  important 
place  of  women  in  society  in  any  land  it  is  self-evident  that  every  effort 
must  be  made  to  develop  Christian  women  leaders  in  every  mission  field. 

VII.  Cooperation 

In  order  to  secure  the  best  and  largest  results  from  the  investment  of 
life  and  money  in  foreign  lands  it  has  seemed  necessary  and  advisable 
to  cooperate  with  other  Christian  bodies  in  some  educational  institutions 
(especially  colleges)  and  in  international  and  interdenominational  relation¬ 
ships,  bearing  in  mind  in  all  cooperative  movements  the  ideals  of  salva¬ 
tion  through  Jesus  Christ  for  which  Baptist  missions  have  always  stood. 

Among  the  most  important  relationships  is  that  with  the  American  Bap¬ 
tist  Foreign  Mission  Society  in  which  close  cooperation  in  unity  of  ideals 
and  methods  of  work  make  for  strength  in  the  Christian  churches  on  the 
field. 


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